In their “Billionaires 2023″ series, Forbes rain a Daily Cover titled “Tour Alabama Like A Billionaire: ‘Yella Fella’ Jimmy Rane’s Favorite Cotton State Spots,” wherein the state’s “only billionaire” shared some of his favorite places to eat in his home state.

One of Auburn University’s most prominent boosters and a Board of Trustees member, Rane is the founder and CEO of lumber treater Great Southern Wood Preserving.

Many know him better from his years in the “Yella Fella” commercials where Rane advertised Great Southern while decked out in a better yellow cowboy costume.

The piece explores Rane’s upbringing in Abbeville, where his family settled in the 19th century, and asks him to give a tour of the state.

“It may seem odd to seek a billionaire’s advice on touring one of the country’s poorest states,” the piece says, noting the state’s poverty rate. “But Rane isn’t an ordinary billionaire.”

Read the full Forbes piece on Jimmy Ranes.

While Rane cites places like Baker’s Landing in Abbeville, Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn among his favorite places in Alabama. But the restaurants he picked caught our eye.

Davenport’s Pizza Palace (Mountain Brook)

“I’ve been going there since law school [at Samford University, in Birmingham],” Rane told Forbes.

AL.com’s Bob Carlton writes, “The hand-tossed, thin-crust pizzas are ladled with the same secret sauce that Rex and Ardyce Hollis prepared when they first opened their neighborhood pizzeria in 1964, and the pies are topped with old-school ingredients such as pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives.”

READ: Davenport’s Pizza Palace: Where tradition never goes out of style

Felix’s Fish Camp Restaurant (Spanish Fort)

“I make a stop pretty much every time I visit our Mobile plant,” Rane tells Forbes, who shout out the crab soup and crawfish-smothered pork chops.

Named AL.com’s Alabama’s Best Oyster Bar in 2016, the restaurant is partially known for seasonal specials like fall’s tailgate-inspired chipotle barbecue baked oyster. Jared Boyd wrote, “The sweetness of the barbecue sauce stands out most, contrasting with the more savory, buttery flavors tucked underneath a layer of cheese.” You should also try the crab claws and key lime pie.

READ: 5 things to know about Felix’s

Niki’s West Steak & Seafood Restaurant (Birmingham)

Forbes cited AL.com’s coverage of the meat-and-three staple famous for its “extensive menu of old-fashioned southern food.

Owned by Pete and Teddy Hontzas, it’s known for its long lines, which Bob Carlton writes moves “so smoothly, in fact, that a customer once joked the Alabama Department of Transportation should hire the Niki’s West crew to speed up traffic flow along the Magic City’s congested interstate system.” The cafeteria line also features a daily selection of about a dozen desserts, including chocolate, coconut and lemon pies.

READ: Niki’s West: The story behind a classic Alabama restaurant

1856, at The Rane Culinary Science Center (Auburn)

Anchoring the first floor of the Rane Center is the fine-dining teaching restaurant 1856, named in honor of the year Auburn University was founded — one of Rane’s selections. Jimmy Rane and the Rane family committed $12 million toward building the world-class culinary center.

Forbes said the restaurant honors The Village Inn, an Abbeville eatery owned by Rane’s late parents. At 1856, students in Auburn’s School of Hospitality Management work and train under and alongside professionals from Ithaka Hospitality Partners to earn hands-on restaurant experience while they complete their undergraduate degrees.

“A roof-to-table experience, 1856 – Culinary Residence’s menu is shaped by the produce grown on the rooftop garden of the Rane Culinary Science Center,” the 1856 website says. “Seasonally-inspired and rotating often, the menu is set by our Chef In Residence and executed by our culinary team and students. “

READ: The story behind Auburn’s new, world-class Rane Culinary Science Center