Confection artist Anthony Smith grew up in Trinidad where he lived next door to a bakery. He would sneak in for "play dough" - until the baker put him to work! From a very young age, his love of pastry arts grew. He took classes during high school and received a certificate from the University of West Indies in Cake Decorating.
When his family moved to Brooklyn, he enrolled as a full-time student in the Hospitality Management program at NYC Technical College (City Tech), City University of New York.
For four years, Anthony studied the classical culinary brigade and advanced pastry arts, with an emphasis on confectionary arts and cake decoration.
At City Tech, he discovered a treasury of opportunities, joining the school's annual competitions at the Javits Center in NYC, and travelling to France through the school's International Student Work-Study Program, where he apprenticed for André Daguin at the Hotel de France in Gascoigne.
After graduating with a Bachelor's degree, he continued to offer "angel" assistance to students, and he now teaches Baking and Pastry Arts at his alma mater, as an adjunct professor.
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When he returned to New York from France, Anthony was hired at 'The Cosmopolitan Club', a private social club on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where he has now been the Executive Pastry Chef for an impressive thirteen years.
For a few of those years, Anthony worked simultaneously as the Executive Pastry Chef for ‘Ida Mae Kitchen-n-Lounge’, located in the fashion district of Manhattan, where he received rave reviews for his Southern style desserts.
Smith also catered a $1500-a-plate Beverly Hills event, held by television personality Tavis Smiley. For the seven-course affair, Anthony created seven desserts accompanied by a chocolate showpiece.
Still in the race to place, Anthony recently won a silver medal at the 19th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition, for his showpiece and cake, and he joined teammates Dadzie and Foltz to win the Bronze Medal at the 2009 National Pastry Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.
Smith's trophy case currently holds over a dozen awards and medals earned from competitions, many from the prestigious Société Culinaire Philanthropique 's Salon of Culinary Arts.
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