It’s not exactly accurate to say that Ben Smith and his restaurant dreams solely propelled Cooper-Young to the dining and entertainment hot spot that it is today.

But it’s certainly fair to say that Smith and Tsunami, the Pacific Rim-themed restaurant he opened at 928 Cooper St. in July 1998, played a significant role in helping the neighborhood transition from what The Commercial Appeal called in 1990 “a downtrodden backwater for failing businesses.”

Through his innovative menu, talent in the kitchen and, above all, a steady hand over nearly three decades, Smith showed that a fine-dining restaurant in Cooper-Young could attract customers from around the city and that such a place could thrive in what was then still an up-and-coming neighborhood more oriented toward burgers and beer than sea bass and fine wine.

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