A Legend Passes Away
Chef Charles " Charlie" Trotter
September 8, 1959 – November 5, 2013
By Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Article published November 11, 2013
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Though I have never eaten at any of Charles Trotter’s Restaurants, on my first trip to Chicago in 2012 I wish that I had. When I returned in 2013 I chose to go to Alinea instead because Trotter’s was now closed permanently. I do regret not going now, as I would have loved to have had the chance to eat his food, meet him in person, and shake his hand before his passing. I still admire him none-the-less as a person that all in food service could look up to as a great chef and a revolutionary in modern cuisine. He inspired me in many ways since he started into fine dining and fine culinary the same way I did, and continue to do. He didn’t get any degree’s costing $100,000, or say that he graduated from this school or that one, he just went to work, watched and learned, he experimented, and he read lots of cookbooks. He will be greatly missed.
Born: September 8, 1959, Chicago, Illinois, USA
54 Years old
Spouse: Rochelle Smith (married in 2010)
Children: Dylan Trotter
Awards: James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef, James Beard Foundation Award for Humanitarian of the Year,
Education: New Trier High School, University of Wisconsin-Madison, California Culinary Academy
17 published books, among them:
Charlie Trotter Cooks at home (2000)
Charlie Trotter's Meat and game (2004)
Charlie Trotter's Seafood (1997)
Charlie Trotter's Vegetables (1996)
He likened cooking to an improvisational jazz session in that as two riffs will never be the same, so too with food.
He was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award in 2005 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. He invited groups of public high school students into his restaurant as part of his Excellence Program two to three times per week: after eating a meal, the students were told how the food was prepared and the motivations of those preparing it.
Trotter also was unusual among celebrity chefs for his outspokenness in matters of ethics, most famously when he took foie gras off the menu in 2002 for ethical reasons. However, Trotter refused to be associated with animal rights groups stating "These people are idiots. Understand my position: I have nothing to do with a group like that. I think they're pathetic."
He made a cameo appearance in the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding, screaming at an assistant "I will kill your whole family if you don't get this right! I need this perfect!" a parody of a stereotypical screaming angry chef.
At just 28 years old Trotter opened his eponymous “Charlie Trotter's restaurant” in Chicago in 1987. On December 31, 2011, Trotter announced that the restaurant would close in August 2012, citing a desire to travel and to pursue a master's degree. It was named as the 30th-best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine and 5th-best in the United States in 2007. In 2010 Charlie Trotter's was one of three restaurants in Chicago to be awarded two stars by the Michelin Guide.
In 2000, he opened Trotter’s To Go, a take-out gourmet retail shop in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, at 1337 W. Fullerton, a high-end delicatessen and catering store. This closed in July 2012.
In 2004, Trotter opened C, a seafood restaurant in Los Cabos, Mexico. It closed in November 2008.
In 2008, Trotter opened his second namesake restaurant in Las Vegas known as Restaurant Charlie. The restaurant garnered extraordinary praise from critics and received the Michelin Guide One Star award in 2009. The restaurant also received the 2009 James Beard Award for "Best New Restaurant". Within the restaurant was a smaller, private bar known as Bar Charlie in which diners were seated overlooking the kitchen preparation and receive a hands-on experience. Due to the recession, it closed in March 2010.
He had planned to open a restaurant in New York City in a new building being built at One Madison Park, but a foreclosure crisis prevented it. On November 5, 2013, Trotter was found unresponsive in his home by his son Dylan. After being transported to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. Sources designated cause of death as a heart attack.
From Starchefs.com:
Charlie Trotter didn’t come from a food-focused family, attend culinary school, or start working in kitchens when he was 14. In fact, it wasn’t until college that Trotter discovered his passion for fine cuisine with the help of a roommate who loved to cook. Trotter—now an internationally renowned chef—taught himself the craft of cooking through practice, reading cookbooks, eating in the best restaurants, working under great chefs, and traveling.
His personal, modern interpretation of cuisine—one that increasingly blends Asian elements—set the bar for creative fine dining in America, paving the way for many of today’s best restaurants and chefs. He has received countless accolades, including eight James Beard Awards, induction into the Relais & Châteaux, membership in Traditions and Qualite, and five stars from the Mobil Travel Guide.
Trotter is the author of 14 cookbooks, the subject of two management books and the host of a nationally aired cooking show, “The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter," on PBS.
Beyond his culinary endeavors, Trotter has embarked on a number of philanthropic activities, including supporting national and international charities. Closest to his heart is the Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation. Since its inception in 1999, Trotter has hosted weekly dinners for high school students and underwritten annual fund-raising dinners for the foundation.
Chef Trotter received an award at the White House from President Bush and Colin Powell for his work with the foundation and was named one of only five “heroes” to be honored by Colin Powell’s charity, America’s Promise. In 2004, Chef Trotter was awarded the “Humanitarian of the Year” award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his overall service to the community. And in 2008 he won both the StarChefs.com Chicago Rising Stars Mentor Award and StarChefs.com Community Innovator Award. Most recently, Trotter was named the 2012 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year.
Charlie Trotter's is regarded as one of the finest restaurants in the world. For nearly 25 years, the restaurant has dedicated itself to excellence in the culinary arts. Charlie Trotter's Restaurant is innovative and progressive in the world of food and wine and has been instrumental in establishing new standards for fine dining worldwide. The restaurant is recognized by a variety of prestigious national and international institutions. Among those include its being a member of Traditions et Qualité . This Forbes Five Star award winning restaurant has won 11 James Beard Foundation awards, including 'Outstanding Restaurant' (2000) and 'Outstanding Chef' (1999) and most recently Chef Trotter won 'Humanitarian of The Year" (2012). Wine Spectator named the restaurant 'The Best Restaurant in the World for Wine & Food' (1998) and 'America's Best Restaurant' (2000). Wine Enthusiast named it ‘America’s Best Wine Driven Restaurant’ (2006) and it has been voted one of the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ by Restaurant Magazine since 2004. Chef Trotter is the author of 14 cookbooks, three management books, and is the host of the nationally aired, award winning PBS cooking series, The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter. Beyond his numerous culinary ventures, Chef Trotter has philanthropic ties to many charities. Most close to his heart is the Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation. Since its inception in 1999 the foundation has raised over $1,000,000 to award to individuals seeking careers in the culinary arts. Chef Trotter has received awards at the White House from both President Bush and Colin Powell for his work with his Culinary Education Foundation and was named one of only five 'heroes' to be honored by Colin Powell's charity, Americas Promise . In 2005, Chef Trotter was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his overall service to the community.
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