Before Martha, There Was B.
Long before the world was ready, she was already doing the work.
Not long ago, I mentioned the name B. Smith in conversation, and the people I was speaking to tilted their heads seeming perplexed and one of them asked, “Who’s that?” I felt a pause deep in my chest. Because how do you explain a woman like B. Smith in a sentence or two? How do you sum up elegance, innovation, and quiet revolution in a soundbite?
This is more than a memory. It’s a tribute.
She was a model, yes. The first Black woman to grace the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in 1976. She was a restaurateur, opening doors to some of the most sophisticated dining spaces owned by a Black woman; in fact any woman! She was a lifestyle expert before that phrase was even common. She was a visionary. A trailblazer. A woman who saw herself clearly and moved through the world with purpose.
Before Martha Stewart became a household name, B. Smith was already living the blueprint. Setting tables with intention. Designing homes with grace. Hosting television programs that welcomed viewers into a world where style met soul. She did all of this in a time when Black women were still being told to stay in their lane. B. didn’t stay in any lane. She created her own path, carved it with class, and walked it with her head held high.
And yet, somehow, her name doesn’t come up enough.
That is what unsettles me.
Because B. Smith didn’t just build a brand. She built a bridge. One that carried culture, refinement, and excellence into the mainstream. She made space for the rest of us to dream bigger. And I believe we owe it to her and to ourselves to keep that memory alive.
I carry her spirit in my work. In every curated experience. In every intentional choice. In every reminder that elegance and authenticity can coexist. That Black women don’t have to choose between soul and sophistication. We can embody both. She did.
This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a reminder for the present. A call to speak the names that history has tried to quiet. A promise that her light will not dim, not on my watch.
Before Martha, there was B.
And if you didn’t know, now you do.
Author’s Note
B. Smith was more than an influence. She was a mirror, a map, and a muse. Her legacy is woven into the fabric of what I create and why I create it. Sharing her story is one small way I continue to honor the women who paved the way with elegance and audacity.
Legacy Footnote: Remembering B. Smith
Born Barbara Elaine Smith on August 24, 1949, in Pennsylvania, she began her career as a model and became one of the first Black women to appear on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in July 1976
She later became a restaurateur, opening the first B. Smith restaurant in New York City in 1986. Two more locations followed in Washington D.C. and Sag Harbor, welcoming guests into warm, refined spaces that reflected her unique style
Smith hosted the nationally syndicated TV show B. Smith with Style from 1997 to 2010, offering tips on home décor, cooking, and entertaining with her signature grace
She published three books: B. Smith’s Entertaining and Cooking for Friends, B. Smith: Rituals and Celebrations, and Before I Forget, a courageous memoir co-written with her husband after she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s
She once said,
“Whatever you do, do it with style. And soul. Always soul.”B. Smith passed away on February 22, 2020, but her impact continues through the countless lives she touched and inspired
Let her name be spoken. Let her legacy be known.
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