Two individuals, a young woman and an older man, pose with Oklahoma State University mascot Pistol Pete. Pete wears a large mascot head with an oversized orange cowboy hat. The man has white hair and a blue button-up shirt. The woman has long brown hair with blonde highlights, and she wears a black dress. — Kate Smith (right) and her father, Daniel Fath, pose with Pistol Pete at the Cowboy100 Honoree Gala. Fath showed up to support his daughter, a fellow HTM alumnus who runs an award-winning bakery. (Courtesy of Genesee Photo)

Alumni Q&A: Kate Smith comes home for Cowboy100

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | hallie.hart@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University graduate Kate Smith puts a sweet spin on her family’s culinary tradition.

After growing up in her parents’ Stillwater restaurant, Smith ventured out to start her award-winning boutique bakery, Kate Smith Soirée, in the Kansas City area.

One recent honor brought her home. The Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the OSU Foundation hosted the fourth annual Cowboy100 Honoree Gala this spring to celebrate the top businesses owned or led by OSU alumni, and Smith was a first-time honoree.

“I am honestly in complete shock by the recognition and so grateful,” said Smith, who obtained her hospitality management degree in 2017. “I have so much pride in being a Cowboy and being born and raised in Stillwater. I always want to make OSU proud of the student they invested their time and effort in and for them to know that they set me up for success and this recognition is for them as well.”

OSU’s highly ranked School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, formerly known as the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, introduced Smith to unique industry experiences. She studied culinary arts in Italy and completed an internship in China, the home country of her maternal relatives.

A woman smiles while holding up a red macaron. The woman has long, brown hair with blonde highlights. Her black shirt displays her title of "chef" in white, cursive letters. — Using her OSU HTM experience, Kate Smith has taught more than 700 people how to make macarons. (Courtesy of Kelsey Alumbaugh Photography)

These opportunities prepared Smith to thrive as the owner and lead designer at a bakery offering meticulously crafted desserts with a specialty in weddings. When she visited for the Cowboy100, Smith told the Spears School of Business about Stillwater memories, French macarons — and the time a couple mentioned her desserts in their wedding vows.

Q: What type of restaurant did your parents run, and what memories stand out from that time?

A: My parents owned Curly’s in Stillwater. It was an old-fashioned charbroiled hamburger joint created by my dad, Daniel Fath, who is also an alum of OSU’s hospitality program. Most of my childhood memories come from the restaurant because I grew up there day in and day out.

I often think of the daily hustle and bustle of serving customers, delivering food to the OSU baseball team on game days, friends and family coming in to see us because they knew they’d always find us there — but, most often, I think about the glow of the dining room when the sun would start to set. There was always a beautiful, warm glow that would beam in since the dining room had large windows that completely wrapped around the room. I often put my mind there when I get stressed and need to relax. It’s my happy place.

What was your favorite part of being a student in OSU’s HTM program?

This is such a tough question. There are so many amazing things about the program, and I dream about doing it all over again. During my time there, I had the best professors who genuinely cared about the students and worked hard to make sure we were successful in each of our personal goals. The hospitality industry is so vast, and they really took time to make sure our individual interests were heard.

But overall, my favorite part of the program was the opportunities they were constantly providing us. I went in with the mindset that if I was available, I was going to say yes to every opportunity. I joined all of the professional clubs. I did all of the special events, networking, temp hire positions, you name it. If there was an email sent out to the students about an opportunity, I almost always signed up.

How did your culinary experiences in China and Italy influence your career path?

I knew I wanted to be in the food industry in some capacity. Originally, I was going to take over my parents’ restaurant after graduating and build on that, but China and Italy really shaped my career path and showed me that I truly enjoyed making art with food and the catering and events side of the industry.

A woman celebrates college graduation with her family. She wears a black gown and holds a cap decorated with the phrase, "Dare to be bold." — Kate Smith (center) celebrates her OSU graduation with her family. Eight years later, she would return for the Cowboy100 Honoree Gala. (Courtesy of Kate Smith)

Speaking of art, we have to mention your macaron towers. Without giving away a secret recipe, what is a trick to making the perfect French macaron?

I used to teach macaron classes at my old location, and every single person — over 700 people have taken my hands-on class — has successfully made macarons. I believe if you have a solid basic recipe, all it takes is seeing and feeling every step of the process, because they are finicky, but if you know what you’re looking for, it’s pretty easy. It’s like learning to ride a bike, or at least my staff compares it to that. I never actually learned how to ride a bike, haha.

When did you establish Kate Smith Soirée? What were the early challenges of building a business?

I started my business in October 2018 in a little apartment as a side business that snowballed out of control and quickly outgrew our apartment. I opened my first official location to the public in June 2019. Early challenges were: What are people actually interested in buying? How much do I need to prepare each day? Do I need staff, and if so, how many? Am I doing everything legally and have all of the permits, licenses, taxes, etc., set up correctly?

How many employees work at Kate Smith Soirée?

I currently have 11 amazing employees who work for me. A small, but incredibly talented group of people with a lot of passion for the industry.

It’s awesome to see you won Couple’s Choice and The Knot awards for your wedding desserts. What inspired you to specialize in weddings?

It wasn’t until I started my business in Kansas City that I had wedding professionals reach out to me asking if I’d be interested in offering my services to wedding couples. After working with the first few couples that booked with me, I was completely in love with the industry. I thrive on that one-on-one experience I get to provide them, and the honor of being part of one of the most important days of their lives is a feeling that’s indescribable.

A tower of pastel macarons, a white wedding cake and a gold candelabra sit on pink platforms of various heights. — Thinking beyond wedding cakes, Kate Smith also designs macaron towers for couples on their big days. (Courtesy of Kelsey Alumbaugh Photography)

What is it like to meet different couples and play a part in making their big day sweeter, pun intended? Do you have a favorite wedding story?

It’s always so fun to meet my couples face-to-face for the first time after emailing back and forth for months. I feel like I have the best part of wedding planning because no one is ever sad about having to taste desserts, and for some, the desserts are the most important part of their wedding.

One of my all-time favorite memories is when I had a couple come in for their tasting consultation, and the groom prefaced the meeting saying that he is not a dessert person and likely wouldn’t be trying much of the desserts. It didn’t take him long to eat everything in front of him, and he confessed that maybe he does like desserts but he’s just never really had any that he liked as much as he liked my products. He even wrote about me and my desserts in his wedding vows, and I sobbed like a baby when the bride told me after their wedding.

Your website’s presentation is beautiful! What have you learned about the importance of aesthetics and marketing as you grow your business?

We were always told that people eat with their eyes first, and you also only get one first impression. So, if people are finding me through Google or clicking a link from a referral, I want them to know that I care about my brand and my products enough to make a website that reflects that. Not only a website that is aesthetically pleasing, but one that is informative and thoughtful.

I want to build that trust with my clients that they know I will provide a high-quality service and they don’t need to jump through hoops to get basic information about our services. As a person planning a wedding or an event coordinator planning a corporate event, they don’t have time to go back and forth with vendors just to find out if that vendor is within their ideal budget or can even provide the services they’re looking for. It saves time not only for your clients but for yourself by increasing quality leads.

Visit the Spears Business website to learn more about the Cowboy100 and see the full list of winners.