The Selma Times-Journal

Frank Stitt of the Highland Bar & Grill in Birmingham took a break from the kitchen, making an appearance Tuesday at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.

Stitt, the author of “Frank Stitt’s Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill” and an award-winning chef of three Birmingham restaurants, was the guest speaker at the Lunch at the Library series. Approximately 100 people attended the event.

“This has been an opportunity to share my philosophies in communities across the country,” Stitt said of his book tour, which he said is totally different from his regular work. “The kitchen and the ingredients is where I start most days. I think that’s the key to any great food.”

Stitt’s book, now in its fifth printing, has gained an audience, said Becky Nichols, director of the Selma library.

“It’s more than a cookbook. It’s a story of the South,” she said. “It expresses the power and passion of sitting around a table. It’s the story of who we are.”

Nichols said the turn-out for this week’s Lunch at the Library is “the same kind of dynamic we had with the Gee’s Bend quilters.”

Stitt said his recipes and his restaurant cuisine revolve around old fashioned Southern ingredients. “The pursuit of getting the greatest Southern ingredients is what makes us a success,” he said.

The next Lunch at the Library will be held at noon on Dec. 7. Call 874-1725 to make a reservation.