We are pleased to share day VI of 540’s 2nd Annual Digital Black History Month Education Campaign
B. Smith | Lifestyle Guru | Author | Restaurateur
Who: B. Smith
Date of Birth: August 24, 1949
Place of Birth: Everson, Pennsylvania
Accomplishments:
- First Black model to cover Mademoiselle magazine in 1976
- Actress
- Restauranteer
- Lifestyle Guru and Entrepreneur
Former model and actress Barbara Smith is the proprietor of B. Smith’s, a hugely successful bistro with locations in New York City and Washington, D.C. In 1995 her popularity resulted in B. Smith’s Entertaining and Cooking for Friends, the first book of its kind by an African American and the first addressed to the African American community. High praise greeted the glossy guide, which encouraged the author to branch out into other areas of entertainment.
In the early 1980s Smith began honing her restaurant management skills. She first worked as a hostess at Ark’s America, a popular Manhattan eatery, and then as a floor manager there. After a year she began scouting locations for her own restaurant. With help from a partnership with Ark, B. Smith’s opened on November 22, 1986, in Manhattan’s theater district. The second B. Smith’s opened in October of 1994 in Washington, D.C.’s newly refurbished Union Station train terminal.
“Before Martha Steward there was B.Smith”
About the Campaign
Every day throughout the month of February 540Blog will devote space to sharing Little Known Facts About Black Americans Throughout History. For us every month is Black History Month but we recognize and support the continuous need to take time and space to put a special spotlight on the accomplishments of Black and brown Americans from all ethnicities that have literally changed the course of history and yet have legacies that are not know by the masses.
Resources
- B.Smith.com
- Wikipedia
- Encyclopedia.com
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