Chef Michael Smith is a Canadian chef that has several TV shows – Chef at Home, Chef Abroad, Chef at Large, and The Inn Chef.  I think it was his “cooking without a recipe” approach that first made him ‘TV famous’.  On October 26, 2009, he came to Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, Canada, to promote his new cookbook, The Best of Chef at Home.  I went to see him at Leonard Hall cafeteria where he was serving bowls of chicken stew, and I was so excited when he personally handed me one.

Below:  This is a picture of the bowl of chicken stew that Chef Michael Smith personally handed to me.  It’s too bad that he didn’t prepare it  🙂

My first thought – after “I can’t believe I’m actually meeting him” – was that he’s even bigger and taller than I was expecting.  I was expecting him to be a big guy since he always towers over everyone on TV, but he’s more like a [gentle] giant.  Props to his camera crews for fitting him into every shot so well  ;).  He was dressed comfortably and seemed very much at ease as he made his way through the event and interview.  Watching his shows, I’ve always thought that he seems like a nice person, and from what I could tell from the brief moment that I observed him and the seconds that we spoke, he’s a Very nice person.  He was smiling the whole time, he graciously stopped to take pictures with everyone that asked for one, and he shook hands with every employee that he met.

Chef Michael Smith’s recipes are easy to follow and a guaranteed success.  Also, his shows are unique, cultured, and interesting.  But above all else, I love him for his personality, because he seems like a genuinely fantastic person.