Peachy the Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 47

FOOD + ENTERTAINING
Photo : Karim Shamsi-Basha
About Chef Frank Stitt
Frank Stitt ’ s fondness for humble Southern ingredients comes directly from his roots in rural Alabama . As a college student , he honed his kitchen skills at the now legendary Chez Panisse in San Francisco , where Alice Waters introduced him to Richard Olney , who was working on the Good Cook series for Time-Life Books and needed an assistant . His professional path further evolved as he worked alongside Jeremiah Tower , Stephen Spurrier and Simca Beck .
In 1982 , Stitt opened Highlands Bar and Grill and soon after , Bottega ( 1988 ), Café Bottega ( 1990 ) and Chez Fonfon ( 2000 )— all in Birmingham . In 2004 , he published his first cookbook , Frank Stitt ’ s Southern Table , followed by Bottega Favorita in 2009 .
Highlands Bar and Grill has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant each year since 2009 . Stitt received the Foundation ’ s award for Best Chef : Southeast in 2001 , and was nominated in 2008 for Outstanding Chef . He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance and was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2009 , the most distinguished award given to an Alabamian .
In 2011 , Stitt was inducted into Esquire magazine ’ s Restaurant Hall of Fame and to the James Beard Foundation ’ s “ Who ’ s Who of Food and Beverage in America .” His restaurants have been featured in The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , Saveur , Food & Wine , Garden & Gun and Southern Living .
Stitt lives in Birmingham with his wife and business partner , Pardis . He has two children , Marie and Weston .
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