Frank Stitt facts for kids

Frank Stitt III is a famous chef and restaurant owner from Birmingham, Alabama. He owns several popular restaurants like Highlands Bar and Grill and Bottega. He is known for making delicious food and for using fresh, local ingredients.

Frank Stitt has won many important awards for his cooking. The James Beard Foundation honored him as one of the best in food. They also named his restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill, an "Outstanding Restaurant."

He also received a special award from the Southern Foodways Alliance. This award recognized him for making Southern food more popular. It also honored him for supporting farmers who grow food nearby.

Early Life and Learning About Food

Frank Stitt was born in 1954 and grew up in Cullman, Alabama. After high school, he went to college. He first studied at Tufts University and then at the University of California, Berkeley. He studied philosophy, which is about big ideas and how we think.

While studying, he read books by food writers like Richard Olney and Elizabeth David. These books made him very interested in cooking. After college, he traveled to Europe. He wanted to learn from chefs there. He finally got a chance to work at a restaurant called Casablanca.

Starting a Cooking Career

After his time in Europe, Frank Stitt worked in the kitchen at Alice Waters' famous restaurant, Chez Panisse. There, he met Richard Olney again. Olney was working on a big cooking series for Time–Life.

Stitt also met other famous chefs and food writers. These included Julia Child, Jeremiah Tower, and Simone Beck. He even took jobs like harvesting grapes. This helped him learn more about where food comes from.

Opening His Own Restaurants

After leaving France, Frank Stitt worked in the Caribbean for a while. Then, he came back to Alabama. He worked in a wine shop and as a chef at a hotel. He also taught cooking classes.

Stitt wanted to open his own restaurant. But banks would not lend him money. So, his friends and family helped him. His mother even re-mortgaged her house to support him. With their help, Highlands Bar and Grill opened in November 1982.

In 1988, Stitt opened another restaurant called Bottega. It was near Highlands Bar and Grill. Bottega focused on Italian cooking traditions. Both restaurants later opened more casual places. Bottega Cafe was next to Bottega, and Chez Fonfon was next to Highlands.

Frank Stitt's kitchens have helped many local chefs learn and grow. He also strongly supports using local farm products. This has helped the local food movement in the area.

Awards and Recognition

Frank Stitt has received many important awards for his cooking and restaurants:

• In 2001, the James Beard Foundation named him the "Best Chef in the Southeast."
• In 2008, he was a finalist for the national "Outstanding Chef" award.
• In 2011, he was added to the James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who of Food and Beverage." This means he is one of the most important people in the food world.
• In 2018, his restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill, won the "Outstanding Restaurant" award.
• Also in 2018, Dolester Miles, the pastry chef at Highlands Bar and Grill, won the "Outstanding Pastry Chef" award.
• He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance. This was for making Southern cuisine better and for supporting locally grown food.

His Cookbook

Frank Stitt also wrote a cookbook called Frank Stitt's Southern Table. It was a bestseller. In 2005, the Southern Booksellers Association named it the "Best Cookbook."