About Us
Serving All-Day Breakfast Since 1980
And Much More!
About Beth Kizhnerman…
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 35 years! I’m thankful that my joy of cooking has allowed me to work with some very talented people.
While at Guilford College, I worked at several local restaurants, including Franklin’s off Friendly, the original Liberty Oak, Manor House at Tanglewood Park, and Southern Lights. After graduating from Guilford College, I made the decision to attend the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. NECI was a great experience and led to two wonderful culinary apprenticeships.
My first apprenticeship was at Season’s in the Bostonian Hotel at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. I had the tremendous opportunity to work with Executive Chef Lydia Shire, Sous Chef Gordon Hammersley, and an array of very talented women. Working at Season’s defined my approach to food as my career moved forward. Season’s kitchen staff consisted of 90% women, which was unheard of in 1987.
My second apprenticeship was in La Roche Bernard, Bretagne, France at a restaurant called L’Auberge Bretonne. L’Auberge Bretonne was a classic French Kitchen, except for the fact that the Sous Chef was a celebrated and talented woman. L’Auberge was one of the most difficult kitchen jobs I have had in my career, but I would do it again. A few years ago, the current chef owner received a Michelin Star.
Returning to Greensboro sometime in the late 1980s, I began working at Southern Lights, and then opened South by Southwest in Winston-Salem. Then my former husband, Jerry Kizhnerman, and I opened Bistro Sofia in 1999 on Dolley Madison Road. Bistro Sofia became the culmination of all of my culinary experiences over the past 20 years. Bistro Sofia had all the elements that created a wonderful dining experience and a wonderful restaurant. As Bistro Sofia continued to prosper, Jerry opened Smith Street Diner in 2006. Eventually, I decided to close Bistro Sofia and take over ownership and operations of Smith Street Diner in 2010. I have been the sole owner since then.
Beth’s Education and Career
Guilford College Graduate―1983
New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, VT―1985
Liberty Oak, Greensboro―1980–1984
Manor House, Tanglewood Park, Clemmons―1984-1985
Southern Lights, Greensboro―1988–1992
South by Southwest, Winston-Salem―1993–1996
Painted Plate Catering, Greensboro―1996–1999
Bistro Sofia, Greensboro, Chef Owner―1999–2010
Smith Street Diner, Greensboro, Owner―2006
Beth’s Apprenticeships
Seasons, Bostonian Hotel, Fanueil Hall, Boston, MA, Executive Chef, Lydia Shire―1985–1986
La Bretagne, La Roche Bernard, Bretagne, France―1986–1987