Frank Stitt

Frank Stitt is an acclaimed Birmingham chef and restaurateur whose cooking helped define modern Southern cuisine. A native of Alabama, Stitt developed an early appreciation for local farming before studying philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and training in influential kitchens in California and France, including Chez Panisse and with mentor Richard Olney.

After returning to the South, Stitt opened Highlands Bar & Grill in 1982, followed by Bottega (1988), Café Bottega (1990), and Chez Fonfon (2000). His restaurants are known for gracious hospitality, seasonal ingredients, and a commitment to regenerative agriculture and humane animal husbandry.

Stitt’s honors include the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast, membership in the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America,” the Southern Foodways Alliance’s Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor, and induction into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. Highlands Bar & Grill received the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2018, and Bottega was a finalist for Outstanding Hospitality in 2026. Both Chez Fonfon and Bottega were recognized by the Michelin Guide 2025 on the “Recommended” restaurant list.

Called the “godfather of Southern Cuisine” by Garden & Gun, Stitt is also the author of two cookbooks, Frank Stitt’s Southern Table and Bottega Favorita. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife and business partner, Pardis, and has two children, Marie (Edward) and Weston (Mallie) and four grandchildren.