From the Ground Up: Planting the Roots to a Blossoming Career
 Confection artist and pastry chef Anthony Smith grew up in Trinidad-Tobago, where he lived next door to a bakery. He would sneak in for "play dough" - until one day the baker put him to work! From that very young age, he discovered his passion for pastry. As a high school student, he studied cake decorating and received a certificate from the University of West Indies.
 When Anthony's family migrated to the United States, he enrolled in the Hospitality Management program at NYC College of Technology (City Tech), City University of New York (CUNY). For four years, he studied the classical culinary brigade and advanced pastry arts, with an emphasis on confectionery arts and cake decoration.
 At City Tech, Anthony discovered a world of opportunities, found his mentors, and was introduced to pastry arts competitions.
At the U.S Pastry competitions, Anthony would assist the judges by cutting and serving cakes for the tasting portion of the competition.
Since his first solo entry at the Annual Salon of Culinary Arts, held by the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique, Anthony competed almost every year, earning many awards and accolades.
Through City Tech's International Student Work-Study Program, he apprenticed for three months
at the Hotel de France in the Gascogne region, in Auch. There, Anthony worked as a kitchen apprentice to the world reknowned chef-hotel owner
Andre Daguin, famous for his foie gras and other Gascon specialties. It was an amazing opportunity, and as Smith states, "the key that opened the door to my future".
 When he returned to New York from France in 1994, he was hired as the Executive Pastry Chef of The Cosmopolitan Club, a private social club on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
For a few years he held dual chef roles, also working for Ida Mae Kitchen-n-Lounge (located in the fashion district of Manhattan), where his Southern style desserts received rave reviews in The New York Times and New York Magazine.
Around that time, Chef Smith also catered a $1500-a-plate Beverly Hills event, held by television personality Tavis Smiley. For the seven-course affair, he created seven desserts accompanied by a chocolate showpiece.
After graduating from City Tech with a Bachelor's degree, Anthony continued to offer "angel" assistance to students, and mentored them during competitions.
His assistance was also requested by Professor Louise Hoffman when she competed at the U.S. Pastry Competition from 1999 until 2001, when she won the Bronze medal.
In 2005 Chef Smith became 'Professor Smith', teaching Baking, Pastry, Confectionery Arts and Chocolate at his alma mater, City Tech.
Still in the race to place, he continued to create masterful works of chocolate and sugar for competitions almost every year, winning a multitude of awards for his work through 2007.
In 2008 Chef Smith won a silver medal at the 19th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition, for his 'Under the Sea' themed showpiece and cake.
 The following year, at the 2009 National Pastry Championship, Anthony joined teammates Ebow Dadzie and Bill Foltz on Team Dadzie.
During the three-day event in Phoenix, Arizona, Chef Smith created the chocolate showpiece and bonbons.
Recipes from the team appear in the 2012 book "Plating for Gold".
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On March 4 2012, after a harrowing battle against humidity and gravity, Anthony Smith won the illustrious title U.S. Pastry Chef of the Year!
Later in 2012, Chef Smith was included among over a hundred celebrity chefs in the book "Street Eats," contributing his "Dessert Pizza" from the Cosmopolitan Club.
Since his 2012 victory, Anthony has coached on the professional level each year. In 2014, he coached the winning champion, Kristen Battaglia, at the U.S. Pastry Competition's first Junior Challenge.
Always hungry for knowledge, he traveled to Switzerland for an intensive two-week class at Felchin Chocolate's Master Chocolatier Program.
In 2015 he visited Haiti, where he taught pastry and baking at the University of Cape Haitian - an intensive course with a full semester's worth of material taught daily, for three weeks.
Back in NYC, he continues to teach each semester at City Tech along with Kingsborough Community College, within the City University of New York. He has also taught at the Institute of Culinary Education, ICE.
Every year he travels home to Trinidad, and for several summers he has taught a class series at The Institute for Pastry & Baking T&T.
In June of 2018, Chef Smith participated as a guest speaker at the Rum and Rhythm Benefit & Auction, a prestigious event held by the Caribbean Tourist Organization, and billed as the "Ultimate Caribbean Epicurean Experience in New York City". He has since been back to cater the event, creating showpieces and desserts for the happy event guests.
In February 2019, Chef Smith was commissioned by City Tech to create a showpiece for the opening celebration of the school's new building.
On top of his busy life teaching, coaching and mentoring, Chef Smith continues his long-term position as the Executive Chef of the exclusive Cosmopolitan Club, which he has held for over twenty years.
To satisfy many requests for special occasion orders and events, Anthony became the co-owner of NYC Cake Couture, where he created custom cakes for several years, until he started up his own business venture with A.S.K. Pastry, Anthony Smith Kreations.
If he has any time left to catch some sleep, chances are he'll be dreaming of Trinidad-Tobago and his own B&B by a Silk Cotton Tree...
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