CAREER CENTER >> success stories

Christopher Hastings '84
Chef/Owner, Hot and Hot Fish Club

Chef Christopher Hastings '84 was Birmingham Magazine's Best Chef in the 2000 Birmingham Reader's Poll.

This is not the only vote Hastings received. His restaurant, Hot and Hot Fish Club was voted as being the most romantic restaurant, as having the best wine selection and tied for first place in the best restaurant, fine dining category.

After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Hastings moved to Atlanta and became a Sous Chef at the Ritz-Carlton. In 1989, Hastings moved to San Francisco where, along with Bradley Ogden, he opened Lark Creek Inn. Hastings and his wife, Idie, own the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Alabama. They opened the restaurant in 1995, after returning to the South ready for a challenge. Hastings serves as the executive chef and his wife is the general manager.

Every aspect of the restaurant supports local businesses. Paintings from local and international artists hang on the walls. The tables and chair are hand-crafted out of local steel. There are many pieces that are designed specifically for the restaurant, including ironwork drapery rods, chandeliers, wooden harvest table and hutch and masonry tabletops.

The restaurant has garnered several prestigious industry awards during the past few years. These include the Wine Spectator's 2000 Award of Excellence and the 1998 Robert Mondavi Culinary Award for Excellence in the Best New Restaurant category.

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