Calling all chefs! Artscape is looking for you to take the stage with Baltimore’s own Chef Cat, the 2026 Flavor Lab Curator and host at Artscape.
Create Baltimore welcomes Catina Smith, also known as Chef Cat, to the Artscape team and stage for Artscape 2026, and local chefs can apply to join her. The Flavor Lab celebrates Baltimore’s rich food culture and features top chefs, food innovators, and immersive dining experiences. It will be located at Guilford and Pleasant streets in Baltimore during Artscape 2026, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend, May 23–24, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
“We’re proud to have Baltimore’s own Chef Cat curating the demo kitchen in Flavor Lab this year,” said Robyn Murphy, CEO of Create Baltimore, in a statement. “Artscape is about generating real opportunity for creatives while making culture accessible and alive across our city. Flavor Lab brings that to life in a way that feels distinctly Baltimore—bold, layered, and rooted in our identity. It’s not just a food experience inside the festival—it’s a reflection of who we are.”
Chefs, culinary artists, and food storytellers can be part of the nation’s largest free outdoor festival by taking the stage at the Cooking Demo Experience at Artscape, where food meets art, culture, and community. They would be with the celebrated Chef Cat, a chef with over 20 years of experience. She got famous nationally as a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen and still makes an impact as co-founder of Our Time Kitchen (OTK) and founder of Cherry Street Diner.
OTK is a commissary kitchen and community hub for uplifting culinary entrepreneurs. In addition to workshops, classes, pop-up events, and more, minority women and marginalized genders can rent the commercial kitchen hourly to help them turn their home cooking businesses into a fully-permitted small business in the food industry. Cherry Street Diner will be Chef Cat’s first brick and mortar restaurant, planned for Baltimore City.
“I am thrilled to host the cooking demo stage at the Flavor Lab this year at Artscape,” Smith said. “Baltimore has an incredibly talented culinary community, and I’ve had the privilege of experiencing these chefs’ food firsthand and trust me, you don’t want to miss what they have in store. This is going to be an unforgettable celebration of the flavors that make this city so special.”
Applications to be part of the Cooking Demo Experience must be received by May 8.
