Chef Frank Stitt
Frank Stitt’s fondness for humble Southern ingredients comes directly from his roots in rural Alabama. He grew up in Cullman, a leading agricultural county in north Alabama, where there was a great deal of pride in being a small family farmer. From an early age, Stitt developed a deep appreciation for the land and farming. But there was another side to his childhood: Stitt’s father, like his before him, was the county doctor, and his love of travel exposed young Frank to cosmopolitan cities and leading restaurants. He was equally at home experiencing some of the great restaurants of New York and New Orleans, as he was picking the first tender shoots of asparagus with his Grandmother White in her beloved garden.
Stitt’s culinary journey began to take shape when he moved to San Francisco, and as a philosophy student, noticed cookbooks were taking precedence over the works of Plato and Kierkegaard. He honed his kitchen skills at various Bay Area restaurants, including the kitchen of Alice Waters at her now legendary restaurant, Chez Panisse. Waters introduced him to Richard Olney, who at the time 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. Eventually, travels throughout the French countryside led to work in vineyards in both Provence and Burgundy.
Stitt made his way back to the American South and returned to the foods and traditions of his childhood. Those roots, combined with his vast culinary experiences and adventurous spirit, led to a singular, deeply rich and passionate approach to food. Highly committed to sustainable agriculture and humane animal husbandry, he was one of the first Alabama chefs and restaurateurs to champion these practices. His influence in this area has been noted in his community and beyond.
In 1982, Stitt opened Highlands Bar & Grill followed by Bottega (1988), Café Bottega (1990) and Chez Fonfon (2000)—all in Birmingham, Ala. His first cookbook, Frank Stitt’s Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill (Artisan Books) was published in 2004 and was named best cookbook that year by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. Five years later, Stitt’s second book, Bottega Favorita: A Southern Chef’s Love Affair with Italian Food (also Artisan Books), was released.
In 2018, Highlands Bar & Grill received the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant after being nominated for the prestigious award each year since 2009. More recently, Bottega was a nominee for the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Hospitality in 2023. Stitt also received the Foundation’s award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2001 and was nominated for Outstanding Chef in 2008.
Stitt was recognized as a leader in the global hospitality industry when he received the Horst H. Schulze Award for Excellence in Hospitality from Auburn University in 2017. Previously, he was honored with a 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.
Two years later, 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 national media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun and Southern Living.
A standing board member of the Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Pepper Place Farmer’s Market, both in Birmingham, Stitt served on the board of the Downtown Rotary Club of Birmingham from 2015 to 2017. He lives in Birmingham with his wife and business partner, Pardis. He has two children, Marie and Weston, and three grandchildren.
