Chef Art Smith cooks for the Pope and a Vatican restaurant is born

This morning, Sept. 5, Pope Leo XIV officially inaugurated Borgo Laudato Si, a new educational and economic project located on the grounds of Castel Gandolfo, the 400-year-old summer home of popes which is an hour’s drive from Rome. This will also be the home of a new restaurant presented by Chicago’s own Chefs Art Smith and Phil Stefani in partnership with the Vatican. It will be the first time a restaurant will open inside the papal estate.

This remarkable opportunity came about due to lifelong dream of Chef Art Smith’s, to cook for a pope and five months ago, his heavenly dream came true.

Art and his Executive Chef of the Art Smith Company, Hector Guerrero, prepared Art's signature dish, fried chicken and biscuits, for His Holiness Pope Leo. At the time, Pope Leo was still a Cardinal and Art had no idea he was cooking for the future pope and that this dinner was an “audition.” (Pope Leo loved his goat cheese biscuits!)

Art flew back to Chicago on cloud nine and immediately went to his friend Mary Kay Bono, the head of Chicago Gourmet, asking her for a “Chicagoan with strong ties to Italy.” He was introduced to Phil Stefani of Phil Stefani Signature Restaurants, and a dream partnership was formed.

The restaurant is unnamed but already under construction with plans to open next spring. It will use ingredients produced on the 135-acre estate and include a 500-seat restaurant.

Chef Art has cooked for the Dalai Lama, political leaders, celebrities, kings and queens, but no one is a better catch than the Pope! Congrats to Art, Phil and teams for this match made in heaven.

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