One of the city's biggest culinary talents is coming to Time Out Market Chicago.
Acclaimed chef Art Smith is bringing his new fried chicken concept, Sporty Bird, to the Fulton Market food and cultural hub on April 20. Combining his love of sports with his passion for Southern hospitality, Smith will delight guests with his signature fried chicken, hummingbird cake and more.
“As a worldwide brand that unites food-lovers from all walks of life, Time Out Market provides the perfect platform for Sporty Bird to showcase its unique blend of flavors and fun. I believe that everybody loves fried chicken, and in a city like Chicago where food and sports are part of the fabric of everyday life, Sporty Bird is destined to become a beloved culinary destination,” Smith said.
Diners can expect to enjoy a variety of tantalizing chicken offerings. The Chicago Hounds Sandwich features crispy breast dressed with beef bacon, Sporty sauce, lettuce, pickles and tomato, while the Bridgeview Sandwich sports crispy chicken with hummus, harissa, pickled red onions and tahini on taboon bread. For those who just want chicken, Chef Art's Famous Fried Chicken and the Sporty Bird Spicy Nuggets—served with choice of dipping sauce—will hit the spot. Dessert stars Smith’s famous hummingbird cake, an indulgent pineapple-banana spice cake with cream cheese frosting.
“It’s quality fried chicken. It’s delicious and really well done. We marinate it and use a specific kind of flour that we can only get from the South, and it takes a lot of technique to do it right,” Smith said. “But what makes it great—it’s the pedigree. It’s been served at the White House. It’s been served at palaces. It’s been served worldwide. And people love it.”
Smith is a two-time James Beard Award winner and currently the executive chef and co-owner of six restaurants, including Reunion and Blue Door Kitchen & Garden in Chicago. He was also previously the personal chef of Oprah Winfrey and served under Florida governors Bob Graham and Jeb Bush. In 2024, Smith joined the ownership group of the Chicago Hounds, the city’s premier rugby club, making him the only U.S. chef with stakes in a professional sports team.
“I found out Chicago got its first professional rugby team and I was like, ‘OK, that’s interesting.’ So I called them up and said, ‘This is chef Art. I want to make a sandwich for your team.’ And then we started talking and I thought, ‘This is more than a sandwich.’ So I bought a rugby team,” Smith explained.
Sporty Bird will be open for lunch and dinner 11am-9pm Sunday through Wednesday, and 11am-10pm Thursday through Saturday.