August 4, 1954

Chef Frank Stitt III was born in Cullman. Known as the “Godfather of Southern Cuisine,” Stitt opened his first restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill, in Birmingham in 1982. Stitt’s use of local, seasonal ingredients to blend French culinary techniques with Southern favorites has won him many national awards and energized the area’s local food movement. He won the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Southeast award in 2001, was nominated for National Outstanding Chef in 2008, and Highlands Bar and Grill finished as a finalist for Outstanding Restaurant every year from 2009 to 2017. Stitt was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2009.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Frank Stitt III. (File, AlabamaNewsCenter)

Highlands Bar and Grill. (File, AlabamaNewsCenter)

Interior of Highlands Bar and Grill. (File, AlabamaNewsCenter)

Baked grits are a favorite at Highlands Bar and Grill, chef Frank Stitt’s French twist on southern cuisine. Baked grits are a favorite at Highlands Bar and Grill, chef Frank Stitt’s French twist on southern cuisine. The baked grits made the Alabama Tourism Department’s “Famous Dishes” list and the “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” promotion. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Photo courtesy of the Birmingham News)

Chef Frank Stitt, a Cullman native, and his wife, Pardis Sooudi, run his four restaurants and Paradise Farm, their organic farm that produces many ingredients for Stitt’s dining venues. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Photo courtesy of the Birmingham News)

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