About the Author

Chris Hastings is chef of the nationally celebrated Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Alabama, which he owns with his wife Idie. Located in a historic building on the city's Southside, the award-winning restaurant has earned a reputation for serving some of the finest and freshest dishes in the region.Chris first became enamored with food during family vacations spent in the low country of South Carolina. After high school, he was accepted to Appalachian State University in North Carolina, but he deferred his admission for a year to work in the kitchen at Silver Cricket in Charlotte. John Daly, the chef at the Silver Cricket, noticed his skill and suggested he apply to culinary school. Chris attended Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island.Chris returned to the South after graduation, accepting a position as a chef at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta, where he learned to apply European influences to Southern cuisine. On a weekend trip to Birmingham, Chris met chef Frank Stitt of the acclaimed Highlands Bar and Grill. The two stayed in touch and, soon after, Chris relocated to Birmingham to work for Stitt as chef de cuisine. He also helped open Bottega, Stitt's Mediterranean restaurant. During this time, Chris first traveled to California, where he met his future mentor, chef Bradley Ogden.In 1989, Chris moved to San Francisco, where he opened the Lark Creek Inn with chef Ogden. While in California, Chris witnessed the rise of the farm-to-table movement first-hand, as he visited the farmer's markets to source ingredients and helped test recipes for Ogden's cookbook.While Chris found his time in California invaluable, he moved back to Birmingham in 1991 with the goal of opening a restaurant with Idie. Chris returned to work for chef Stitt while planning for the future. In 1995, the Hastings opened the Hot and Hot Fish Club, a restaurant that offers warm hospitality, contemporary American cuisine with Southern influences and a beautiful space filled with the work of local artisans.Chris, who has been nominated for a James Beard Award in the Best Chef: South category, recently released his first cookbook: The Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook, A Celebration of Food, Family and Traditions (Running Press, October 2009). Far more than a recipe book, the pages offer a glimpse of Chris and Idie's home and work life on a month-by-month basis and how they gather at the table with family and friends to celebrate the passing seasons. In 2010, the book was selected by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) as a finalist in the annual Cookbook Awards' Food Photography and Styling category.In addition to his work at Hot and Hot Fish Club, Chris is also a consultant and culinary advisor to restaurants across the country and is an Alabama spokesperson for Wild American Shrimp. He lives in Birmingham with Idie and their two sons, Zeb and Vincent.

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