Chef
Harding Lee Smith
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
i. Biography
In trade terms, that title sits inside a broader restaurant practice built through Deering High School, Boston University, Portland kitchens, and a group of Maine dining rooms shaped around New American Comfort Food. The work reads as accumulation: training, service, ownership, and repeat addresses that mark out a steady line of restaurant experience.
The Path
Training at Deering High School, Boston University, and The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone came before Harding Lee Smith moved into professional kitchens at Mims Brasserie in Portland, Maine and then as sous-chef at Back Bay Grill in Portland, Maine. Those early roles place him in the basic disciplines of restaurant work, where timing, repetition, and service matter as much as any individual plate. From there, the career broadened by addition rather than reset: one kitchen, then another, then ownership, each step reinforcing the shape of the work. Today, Harding is founder and owner of The Front Room (since 2005), chef and owner of The Grill Room & Bar (since 2008), owner of The Corner Room (since 2009), co-owner of Boone's Fish House & Oyster Room (since 2013), owner of The Mountain Room (since 2017), and owner of The Last Run Room (since 2023). Read together, those roles point to a restaurateur building across multiple rooms and years, with each address carrying its own pace while remaining linked to Maine hospitality and the comfort-food style that defines his cooking.
The Work Today
In 2005, Smith became founder and owner of The Front Room in Portland, Maine. That opening marked the start of his ownership work and set a model that would later extend across Portland and into Newry. It stands as the first clear expression of a method that joins culinary identity with the practical demands of a neighborhood restaurant. Since 2008, he has been chef and owner of The Grill Room & Bar in Portland. His specialty is New American comfort food, and that remains the central phrase attached to his name. The style suggests food aimed at familiarity without abandoning structure: approachable, but still made with control. That balance has become part of how Smith is read professionally, as a chef working squarely between ease and craft. The next year, in 2009, he became owner of The Corner Room, also in Portland. The continuity matters. Rather than shifting direction, Smith kept building in the same city, extending his presence and showing a career formed through sustained expansion. The Maine footprint later extended to Newry. That reach gives his body of work a wider geography, while still staying tied to the state’s dining culture and the comfort-food idiom that defines his cooking. Taken together, the current roles show a chef-owner working across multiple addresses while staying tied to Maine dining rooms and the comfort-food idiom that defines his cooking. The list is substantial, but the through-line is clear: a series of rooms, years, and responsibilities that map a durable restaurant life.
Signature
Harding's signature dishes include New American Comfort Food.
Acclaim
His public philosophy is framed in community terms: "To Harding, food is more than something to be enjoyed – it should nourish the body and give back to the community that supports it." That line fits a career built not around a single room, but around a sustained group of restaurants in Portland and Newry.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Harding
What is Harding Lee Smith's current role?
As of 2026, Harding Lee Smith is Chef and Owner of the Grill Room & Bar.
What is Harding Lee Smith known for?
New American Comfort Food.
