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Charlie Trotter

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Charlie Trotter is a famous Chicago chef and owner of the eponymous upscale restaurant Charlie Trotter's. The restaurant has a nationwide reputation and is often mentioned in publications such as Wine Spectator which named it "The Best Restaurant in the World for Wine & Food" in 1998 and "America's Best Restaurant" in 2000. In addition, it has also received Five Stars from the Mobil Travel Guide, Five Diamonds by AAA and seven James Beard Foundation awards.

Charlie Trotter started cooking professionally in 1982 after graduating with a degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin. For the next 5 years, he worked and intensively studied in Chicago, San Francisco at the California Culinary Academy, Florida and Europe. Opening in 1987, Charlie Trotter's was instantly received to high critical and public acclaim.

Charlie Trotter is the host of the award-winning 1999 PBS cooking show The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter. On the show he goes into detail about his recipes and cooking techniques. Trotter is also the author of ten cookbooks and has a line of gourmet foods sold under his name. Trotter owns Trotter's To Go, a high-end delicatessen and catering storefront located in Lincoln Park, Chicago. In 2006, Trotter opened Trotter's To Go Express, a simplified version of his delicatessen featuring ready to eat salads, beverages, and carry away items geared towards executives on their lunch breaks or other professionals in a hurry; Trotter's To Go Express is located in Chicago's downtown Equinox Fitness Club. More Trotter's To Go Express stores are planned for other Equinox clubs in Chicagoland.

In February 2004, C, a fine-dining seafood restaurant, opened in Los Cabos, Mexico under the direction of Charlie Trotter. Most recently, Trotter has dropped plans for a new restaurant that would have opened in the Time Warner Center in New York City early in 2006. Other proposals Trotter is considering include a restaurant in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and another in the Venetian Hotel currently being built in Singapore. Projects in the Maldives, in Dubai, and in Shanghai have also been considered.

On November 29th, 2006, Trotter was interviewed on Chicago NBC affiliate WMAQ-5 and announced plans for a new Chicago area restaurant, as yet unnamed, that will have a more modern tone to it (compared to the look and feel of his eponymous restauarant). This new restaurant will be Trotter's addition to the Elysian Hotel and Luxury Residences tower, currently under construction near Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Trotter's new restaurant, which will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, will open in October 2008.

In addition to his culinary endeavors, Trotter is involved in philanthropic activities, including his own Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation. In 2004, Chef Trotter was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Trotter also invites groups of public school students (high school aged) into his restaurant as part of his Excellence Program: the students sample a slightly scaled back version of the restaurant's Grand Tasting Menu and listen as Trotter's chefs, sommeliers, and staff present each course with insights into how the food was prepared and what excellence means to them personally in their jobs. Trotter does not hope to convince these students to join the culinary arts themselves, but rather hopes to inspire them to find something in their lives that they love, the way Trotter loves food, and pursue excellence in their chosen field.

Charlie Trotter made a cameo appearance in the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding, screaming at an assistant "If you don't get this right, I'll kill your whole family." Although the role is a parody of a stereotypical screaming angry chef, it is noted in the book Lessons in Excellence that Trotter has exacting standards which have contributed in part to both his success and criticisms.

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[edit] Controversy

Trotter has become the center of a political debate in Chicago over foie gras. Trotter claims that he stopped serving foie gras several years ago because he believes that is a cruel practice (although he has allowed guest chefs to prepare foie gras in his restaurant since this announcement). Trotter was publicly criticized by Rick Tramanto of Tru, and the two chefs carried on a very public debate over foie gras. This culminated in an ordinance proposing that foie gras be banned in Chicago restaurants by Alderman Joe Moore (who admits that he has never eaten foie gras, but is not a vegetarian). The ban passed in April 2006 and Charlie Trotter is cited as the inspiration for the foie gras ban in the introduction and text of the ordinance. The ban took effect on August 22nd, 2006. Critics of the ban have pointed out that "the law prohibits restaurants from selling foie gras but not from giving it away," and as a result, several chefs have continued to serve foie gras but only charge for the other ingredients on the plate. Hot Doug's continues to openly flout the ban and serve a new foie gras dog special every week. As of September 2006, Alderman Bernard Stone has asked for the foie gras ordinance to be repealed, and Mayor Daley is backing the repeal.

[edit] Books by Charlie Trotter

[edit] Coauthored by Charlie Trotter

[edit] Notes

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[edit] External links

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