A Michelin-star chef recently paid a visit to Alabama and made sure to grab a meal at a beloved Birmingham restaurant while he was here.

Chef Thomas Keller, the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide, enjoyed a meal at Bottega restaurant, and it wasn’t his first visit to the popular eatery.

Frank Stitt, the owner and executive chef of Bottega Restaurant, shared a photo from Keller’s visit, saying “It was wonderful to welcome Chef Keller back to Bottega. Pardis [Stitt,] our team and I are honored he dines with us when he visits Birmingham.”

In addition to opening several world-renowned restaurants, including The French Laundry in Napa Valley, Keller has sold more than 1.5 million copies of his cookbooks in print and been awarded a variety of accolades, including The Culinary Institute of America’s “Chef of the Year” Award and the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and “Outstanding Restaurateur” Awards.

Stitt and Keller met at the James Beard Foundation Awards more than two decades ago, and Bottega previously hosted a sold-out specialty dinner by Keller in 2013.

“I’m happy to say that Frank, even though we don’t see each other enough, is a person that I have great respect for, and someone that I really enjoy being around,” Keller told AL.com at the time.