I was cleaning around my kitchen the other day and began looking at all of my cookbooks. It reminded me that I haven’t written about any of my favorite cookbooks lately.

One that is so wonderful and a great source of inspiration for me is Frank Stitt’s Southern table. (click on this link to take a peek inside the book)

What most inspires me about Frank is that he was the first Southern chef to take Southern food and elevate it beyond the level of meat plus three.

Several of my favorite dishes come from his cookbook. Sometimes I follow them to the tea (why mess with perfection) or sometimes it’s fun to add my own twist on things. To me, that is what makes cooking fun, experimenting with ingredients to change a recipe and make it your own. Frank’s Buttermilk Vinaigrette is still one of my personal favorites and used quite often at the Farmhouse.

When Inn guests ask me about my favorite Southern recipes, what comes immediately to mind are Frank’s restaurants in Alabama. A great road trip for me is to visit Bottega Restaurant and Café and hang around and enjoy dinner at Highland’s Bar and Grill. I would encourage all of you to visit both restaurants for a true culinary treat.

Frank’s food inspires me on a daily basis because it is so amazingly delicious and to me he is a master Southern Chef.