About Chef Gordon

Gordon Smith has over 25 years combined experience in organic food and farming both as a chef and company owner. A California native, after graduation from Sacramento State University with a B.S. in Communications, he entered the restaurant business, training under legendary chefs including Michel Stroot of the Golden Door. Chef Gordon became a respected specialist in spa cuisine and was instrumental in opening Deepak Chopra's Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California. Afterwards, he served as executive chef for major resorts in California.

During the Los Angeles Olympics, he worked as kitchen manager to help plan and feed healthy meals to 7,000 athletes in addition to catering presidential and mayoral events. At the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt Germany, Smith was part of the American Natural Food Team which won two Silver Medals. A long-time advocate of organics, his company, Gordon’s Specialty Produce, serviced markets in San Diego with a wide variety of gourmet vegetables. He was twice awarded Best Chef of North County for his own restaurant, Basil Street Café in Encinitas where he also owned a full service catering business. As an accredited teacher for regional occupations program, he gave demonstrations on the use of fresh herbs in food preparation and taught cooking to special education students. He has been a private chef for clients that include First Lady Betty Ford, Michael Eisner, Saudi Prince Fahad and James Garner.

His interest in preserving the small farmer led him to found Slow Food San Diego. He served a four year term as Governor of Slow Food Southern California and was twice selected as a delegate at the Terra Madre, an international conference of food communities from 150 countries united by a mutual goal of global sustainability.

Chef Gordon lives in Los Angeles and Encinitas where is President of the nonprofit, Encinitas Community Garden.

ABOUT REPARATA: Brooklyn-born, Reparata Mazzola is a published author and produced screenwriter. She was a contributing editor for several magazines, is a member of the Writers Guild of America and served on its Board of Directors. Before launching her full-time writing career, Reparata was an Emmy-nominated television producer in New York but left her TV career to sing, recording and touring the world as a member of Barry Manilow’s backup trio, Lady Flash. Relocation to Los Angeles led to acting. Her own production company co-produced a movie she wrote and starred in. Reparata authored a best-selling biography, also penning the screenplay which is being produced as a feature film.

Reparata lives in Los Angeles with a chef, a cat and a variety of friendly wildlife. Her meatballs are legendary.

Gordon Says:

Photo: Mary Ann Halpin