Chef's Bio

With over 20 years of culinary experience in Atlanta, Chef Frederick “Fred” Gilbert brings a love of cooking and using local ingredients to the dining experience at Community Smith at Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel. In his role as executive chef, Gilbert oversees the kitchen of the popular breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch destination in Midtown.

Chef Gilbert’s career is sprinkled with experience from around the globe that has inspired his menus and his basic food philosophy. The son of a Navy veteran, Gilbert has traveled all over the world and has always considered food a way to connect with both locals and his family. Gilbert’s family set roots in Maine where he attended school and spent several years honing his craft. His residency in Maine inspired his passion for using local seafood as the star on many of his menus.

Gilbert prefers fresh ingredients, especially when they can be grown locally. In his free time, he enjoys tending to his home garden of basil, cilantro and a variety of heirloom vegetables. His cooking doesn’t end at the restaurant, and he can often be found in his backyard with friends for a slow cooked Southern dinner, where he serves his signature sweet tea brined pork, cooked low and slow on the grill paired with fresh, seasonal vegetables from his garden.

Gilbert previously served as executive chef where he curated a Southern farm-to-table menu and introduced made-from-scratch recipes. In this exciting new role at Community Smith, Gilbert will remain committed to his food philosophy of using simple, sustainable, chef-crafted ingredients to create his seasonal menus.