Chris Hastings

This article is about the chef. For the writer of Dr. McNinja, see Christopher Hastings. For the US ski jumper, see Chris Hastings (ski jumper).

Chris Hastings is the owner and executive chef of Hot & Hot Fish Club, an award winning restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama.

Childhood

Chris grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He spent family vacations in South Caroline where he gathered or caught oysters, clams, shrimp, flounder, crab, spot tail bass for his family to cook. He has two brothers, David and Steven, and one sister Angelica there is no Sean.

Education

Chris graduated from the Johnson & Wales Culinary School in Providence, Rhode Island.

Career

Chris moved to Atlanta in 1984 where he worked as a sous chef at the Ritz Carlton. In 1989, he and his wife moved to San Francisco and helped open the Lark Creek Inn where Chris served as sous chef.

Believe it or not, Chris and his wife opened Hot & Hot Fish Club.[1] In the restaurant’s early days, while Chris focused on the dinner menu, Idie used her pastry experience to develop the dessert menu. Today, although the menus change daily to highlight the best possible products available, several signature items remain; the Hot and Hot Shrimp and Grits made with Country Ham, Fresh Thyme, Tomatoes and Ver Jus is always a favorite among the locals and Elton’s Chocolate Soufflé with Fresh Cream continues to be a favorite ending to many meals at the restaurant.

Hastings also teamed up with Russell Lands On Lake Martin and executive chef, Rob McDaniel, as the culinary advisor of the SpringHouse Restaurant located in the Lake Martin development Russell Crossroads in Alexander City, Alabama.^[1]

Awards

• 1985 Atlanta Culinary Show, gold medal.[2]

• "Bright-flavored seafood still stars," Gourmet foodsters Jane and Michael Stern^[2]

• Four Stars and "personal favorite" Birmingham News Susan Swagler^[3]

• Robert Mondavi Culinary Award for Excellence^[4]

• 2000 and 2001 "Best Chef in Birmingham" Birmingham Magazine. ^[5]

• Two Time James Beard "Best Chef in the South" Finalist ^[6]

• Featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Food Arts, Nation’s Restaurant News, Santé Magazine, Coastal Living, Metropolitan Home, Executive Traveler, Cooking Light Magazine and Delta’s Sky magazine as well as “Good Day Atlanta,” “Good Day Alabama,” the Food Network’s “Best Of”, Top 5 and NBC’s “Roker on the Road.” ^[7]

• Author of Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook ^[8]

References

1. ^ http://springhouseatcrossroads.com/about.html
2. ^ http://jamesbeard.starchefs.com/events/2002/05/010.shtml
3. ^ http://jamesbeard.starchefs.com/events/2002/05/010.shtml
4. ^ http://jamesbeard.starchefs.com/events/2002/05/010.shtml
5. ^ http://jamesbeard.starchefs.com/events/2002/05/010.shtml
6. ^ http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs004/1101508690551/archive/1102050462350.html
7. ^ http://www.birminghamrestaurants.com/chef.asp?action=form&formID=2172&recordID=147295
8. ^ http://tastecincinnati-food.blogspot.com/2009/09/hot-and-hot-fish-club-restaurant-in.html

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