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A Night of Building a Healing Foundation in Rural Africa

TropicalClinics Friendraiser held November 12, 2007

B. Smith with Margaret Kilibwa of Tropical Clinics

B. Smith Restaurant
320 W. 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
6pm to 10pm

Wine, Dinner and Silent Auction: Entertainment by famed Comedian Loretta LaRoche

TropicalClinics’ Friendraiser honored B. Smith for her accomplishments as a restaurateur, an author, entertainer, and a community leader at B. Smith Restaurant on November 12, 2007.

About B.Smith:

B. Smith knows style whether it’s on the runway, in a restaurant or in the comfort of your home.  The former fashion model turned restaurateur, television host, author, entrepreneur and entertainer extraordinaire is widely regarded as an expert when it comes to casual but elegant living.

For the past 9 years, B. Smith has hosted the lifestyle television show "B. Smith with Style."  Originally distributed by Hearst and Tribune Entertainment companies, the show aired in more than 90% of the U.S. and 40 countries.  Viewers in select markets can now watch the show five days a week on the cable network TV One.  Plus, they can enjoy B. Smith’s effervescent personality and creative ideas via her appearances on programs such as ABC’s "Good Morning America" and "The View," and NBC’s "Today."

A seasoned culinary expert who was recognized by Elle Décor as one of America’s 10 most outstanding non-professional chefs, Smith is the owner of three successful B. Smith restaurants in New York, Washington, D.C., and the scenic Long Island Hampton village of Sag Harbor.  Smith’s first restaurant, launched in Manhattan in 1986, was located on 8^th Avenue and 47^th Street for 13 years.  In 1999, Smith relocated the restaurant to Restaurant Row, where the flagship has just entered its 20^th year in business.  Her D.C.-based restaurant, in the historic Beaux-Arts style Union Station, recently celebrated its 12^th anniversary, and in May 2007, the Sag Harbor restaurant will open for its 10^th season.

Another recent venture for Smith is her line of jewelry, introduced on television retail giant QVC.  The B. Smith Jewelry Collection, made from 14K gold and silver and often incorporating semi-precious gemstones, is designed to reflect Smith’s international, multi-cultural appeal.

Smith is the author of two tabletop books on entertaining, the host of "B. Smart Tips for a Better Life" heard on New York’s WBLS-FM, and a columnist for Soap Opera Digest.  She and her husband Dan Gasby have produced four television specials for TV One.  The couple’s B. Smith Restaurant Group, formed in May 1998, is in the process of expanding its holdings.  Smith and Gasby recently spoke about their successful partnership as a "power couple" at the Harvard Business School’s Dynamic Women in Business Conference.

About Loretta LaRoche

Loretta is an international stress management and humor consultant whose wit, and irreverent humor, has, for over 30 years raised the humor potential in all of us. She is a member of faculty at the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Boston. She writes a weekly newspaper column called, 'Get a Life'…She is a contributing writer for Diane Magazine (Rodale Press)... She is also featured as a stress management expert on LLuminari.com, a community wellness website.

Loretta is founder and president of The Humor Potential, Inc, a company offering programs and products for life style management. Her special brand of optimistic psychology has an incontestable positive effect on the health of all that are exposed to her. Organizations worldwide use Loretta's prescription for laughter to manage stress in the workplace and improve morale.

Loretta's energetic meeting openings, trainings and keynotes serve to improve learning skills and put a room in an enthusiastic frame of mind. Corporate clients such as IBM, The New York Times, Fidelity Investments, Microsoft and NASA, just to name a few, have used her material to defeat stress in the workplace. She is also a well-recognized TV personality on PBS and best selling author. She has had six one-woman television specials air in 80 PBS stations across the country. She has been nominated for local and prime time Emmy Awards, has appeared on CNN, ABC and NBC affiliates. She has authored 6 books, The Joy Journal, Happy Talk, Relax: You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left, Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal and, Life Is Short- Wear Your Party Pants, Squeeze the Day and her latest book Kick Up Heels Before You're Too Short to Wear Them will be out in March 2007.