Jason Smith

Jason Smith was an American chef born in London, Kentucky on December 16, 1977. Smith, a Grayson, Kentucky native and North Laurel High School graduate, is a self-taught chef. He worked as a school cafeteria manager, designer, event planner, caterer, and pastry chef before finding Food Network fame. Smith first came to prominence as the winner of the third season of "Holiday Baking Championship" (Food Network, 2014- ) in 2016. He then competed in the thirteenth season of "Food Network Star" (Food Network, 2005- ), winning that competition as well and finding a place among other chefs and hosts on the channel in 2017. Smith joined "Best Baker in America" (Food Network, 2017- ) at its conception as a judge alongside Marcela Valladolid. On "Best Baker in America," nine bakers try to impress the judges to impress the judges and win a $25,000 prize. Smith's return to the second season of the show was also marked by celebrity chef Scott Conant taking over hosting duties in 2018. Known as "Lord Honey," Smith was known for advocating cooking styles and ingredients from the American South, and Kentucky in particular.