Frank Stitt

Stitt was born in 1954, grew up in Cullman, Alabama, and graduated high school in 1972. He began his studies at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, as a philosophy major. It was through philosophical treatises on food by authors such as Richard Olney and Elizabeth David that he developed an interest in cooking. After graduation, he spent time in Europe. He tried unsuccessfully to apprentice himself to area chefs, until Fritz Luenberger brought him on at his Casablanca restaurant. ==Career==

Stitt worked in the kitchen at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. There he was introduced to Olney, who was living in Provence and compiling a multi-volume Time–Life series on cooking. While there, he met other notable chefs and food writers such as Julia Child, Jeremiah Tower, and Simone Beck. He also took more menial jobs, such as grape harvesting, that would allow him to learn more about foods. After leaving France, Stitt worked in the Caribbean for a while before returning to Alabama. He took a job as a sommelier at a wine shop and as a chef for the Hyatt House Hotel while teaching cooking classes privately. He was unable to persuade local banks to lend him money to start his own restaurant, so he turned to friends and family for assistance. His mother re-mortgaged her house to help out, and Highlands Bar and Grill opened in November 1982. His first cookbook, ''Frank Stitt's Southern Table'', was a bestseller and was named "Best Cookbook" for 2005 by the Southern Booksellers Association. ==Publications==

• Stitt, Frank. (2004) ''Frank Stitt's Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill''. New York: Artisan Books. • Stitt, Frank (2008) ''Frank Stitt's Bottega Favorita: A Southern Chef's Love Affair with Italian Food''. New York: Artisan Books. ==References==