If you’re an A-list celebrity or a head of state, there’s a good chance you’ve sampled chef Art Smith’s fried chicken, biscuits and hummingbird cake.
From Oprah Winfrey to the Obamas to the Dalai Lama, Smith has cooked for some serious dignitaries. And he’s got restaurants across the country, including Reunion and Blue Door in Chicago.
So it may come to a surprise that Smith’s new project—along with restaurateur Phil Stefani—is a collaboration with a surprising partner.
The Catholic Church.
And the Chicago restaurateurs involvement actually predates the election of Dolton, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV.
How did this happen? In March 2025, Smith was invited to cook at Vatican City for Pope Francis’s delegation. It was, as Smith later discovered, an audition dinner.
Pope Francis had announced plans to revitalize Borgo Laudato Si’, which for centuries served as the papal summer retreat—a short trip from Vatican City. The plan was to transform Borgo Laudato Si’ into an ecological center open to the public, with gardens, farms, and an education center that would advocate for environmental issues.
Who would feed the visitors?
After Smith served his fried chicken and biscuits to the delegation—including an American-born cardinal named Robert Prevost—he was given the job. The fact that Prevost would become Pope Leo XIV was a remarkable coincidence, perhaps, a divine one.
The restaurant will be called The Borgo—it’s Italian for village—appropriate, as Smith views food as a means to bring a community together. While most of the menu will be Italian (the executive chef is Smith’s longtime right-hand man, Hector Guerrero), many of the dishes will have a Chicago influence.
Expect to see Southside Chicago-style barbecue, tacos, even a porchetta with giardiniera on the menu.
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