B. Smith, the well-known restaurateur, model, TV personality, author, spokeswoman, and brand, is in a hurry and always has been — so much so that early on she shortened her name to B. from Barbara to save time.

These days, Ms. Smith and her husband of 15 years, Dan Gasby, are building a business that capitalizes on Ms. Smith’s celebrity and on her talents. Mr. Gasby jokingly refers to his wife as “Martha Stewart with rhythm.”

Her portfolio of interests leans toward home decorating, entertaining, and fashion. She is involved in a partnership with Bed, Bath & Beyond, which carries her signature bedding and housewares line; acts as a spokeswoman for General Mills and Colgate Palmolive, owns three restaurants; records “Tips for a Better Life” spots for an African American-owned radio station, WBLS; writes a column for Soap Opera Digest; offers a jewelry line through QVC, and is soon to launch a furniture line.

She is apparently the first African-American woman to have her own national furniture brand. The 40-piece collection includes three different lines, two of which are named after her homes, at Park Avenue South and in Sag Harbor. The upholstered pieces, to be manufactured by Clayton Marcus, a division of La-Z-Boy, were unveiled yesterday in High Point, N.C. Unfortunately, Ms. Smith’s line may be overshadowed by the launch tonight of Donald Trump’s new furniture line, which is likely to be a more raucous event — Mr. Trump has evidently come up with a new slant on chairmanship.

Ms. Smith has come a long way from her upbringing in a small town in Pennsylvania. An invitation to act as co-chairwoman of a planned extravaganza celebrating Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary makes it clear just how far. “It’s been a really nice odyssey,” Ms. Smith says, describing her passage to nationally recognized personality from high school modeling classes. It’s not a total surprise, though, for the hardworking entrepreneur. “I knew I was leaving after high school,” she says. “I had a path.”

The path led initially to Pittsburgh, where she taught modeling, and then to being hired as the first African-American on-the-ground hostess for TWA. Soon after, she broke into modeling. One of her first jobs was modeling bridal gowns on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

In 1972, Ms. Smith signed on with the famous modeling agency run by Wilhelmina, and she was off and running. During the next decade, she was featured on 15 magazine covers and worked hard at her career, investing time and money in a steady regimen of weekend dance and acting classes. She traveled and lived in Paris, Milan, and Vienna (where “I modeled dirndls, but never learned to yodel”). “I had a long career,” she says, “and loved everything I did. I liked being with the other models. I was able to navigate some of the perils of the trade. “

One of those perils was keeping her weight down — as much an issue then as now. “I’m not naturally thin — I like food,” she says. Indeed, one of her favorite career-long pastimes has been cooking and entertaining. “I was always taking food home from the set, or cooking, and having people over,” she says. Her interest in food may not have been convenient for a model, but it set her up for her next career.

Her last overseas stay was in Vienna. She considered opening a restaurant there, but struggled with the language and eventually headed back to this country. She then begged a job from a budding restaurateur, hoping to learn the trade. She had envisioned opening a small, intimate place, but after a year of working at America, the huge downtown spot, she changed her mind.

The upshot was her first restaurant, B. Smith, at 47th Street and Eighth Avenue, rather a daring location at the time. “It was the avenue of lost souls,” Mr. Gasby says. “There were peep shows, abandoned buildings. It was a mess.”

Despite the bad neighborhood, the restaurant was a hit. The menu was eclectic, but featured some Creole and some southern cooking, including some of her mother’s recipes. An unexpected bonus was that it attracted the attention of Mr. Gasby, who took to frequenting the place and eventually met the owner. “B. came in wearing this hostess gown; she had this glow,” he says. At the time, Mr. Gasby was in TV sales and production. After they were married, in 1992, he began to get involved with her career. She wrote her first book in 1992, and it became the basis for a TV show, which ran into some difficulties. He offered to help, and the partnership was born.

“I sold her show as ‘food, fashion, and fun’ or ‘how to make the most out of life in an entertaining way,'” Mr. Gasby says. The show was in syndication for eight years, and was one of the first to include celebrities on the set.

Today, both Ms. Smith and her husband are as busy as ever building her brand. “My goal is to have a big organization, with our own designers,” she says. “There’s more to do in the home area. We haven’t even touched the dining room yet.

“I’m known across color lines. Women trust what I’m doing. The Bed, Bath line is directed at a definite lifestyle,” she says. “It’s affordable luxury, and wasn’t targeted at the black community.”

What else lies ahead? “I can see clothing in my future,” she says. “I’m into accessories, I like ‘funky.’ Also, I’ve only done two books. For someone in my business, I’m lagging behind.

“My stepdaughter says, ‘Why are you always working when we’re on vacation?’ I tell her the work pays for the vacation.”

The good news for the family is that Ms. Smith’s aspirations are all-inclusive, and unending. “I told Dan — when we’re 80 we’re going to join the Peace Corps,” she says. Here’s one household that assuredly is not having an energy crisis.

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