Charlie Trotter
Encyclopedia
Charlie Trotter is a chef
and restaurateur
.
, Trotter started cooking professionally in 1982 after earning a degree in political science
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. For the next 5 years, he worked and studied in Chicago, San Francisco at the California Culinary Academy, Florida and Europe. In February 2010, Trotter married longtime girlfriend Rochelle Smith. who is now also his publicist.
Charlie Trotter was the host of the 1999 PBS cooking show The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter in which he details his recipes and cooking techniques. He likens cooking to an improvisational jazz session in that as two riffs will never be the same, so too with food. He has also written 14 cookbooks, three management books and has a line of organic and all natural gourmet foods distributed nationally.
Trotter is involved with his philanthropic Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation and other causes. He was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award in 2005 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. He invites groups of public high school students into his restaurant as part of his Excellence Program 2 to 3 times per week: they eat a meal and are told how the food was prepared and the motivations of those preparing it.
Trotter also is 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.
Charlie Trotter 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.
Current
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
. It has also been recognized as one of The Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. by GAYOT.com. T
Former
Coauthored
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
and restaurateur
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
.
Biography
A graduate of New Trier High SchoolNew Trier High School
New Trier High School is a public four-year high school , with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...
, Trotter started cooking professionally in 1982 after earning a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. For the next 5 years, he worked and studied in Chicago, San Francisco at the California Culinary Academy, Florida and Europe. In February 2010, Trotter married longtime girlfriend Rochelle Smith. who is now also his publicist.
Charlie Trotter was the host of the 1999 PBS cooking show The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter in which he details his recipes and cooking techniques. He likens cooking to an improvisational jazz session in that as two riffs will never be the same, so too with food. He has also written 14 cookbooks, three management books and has a line of organic and all natural gourmet foods distributed nationally.
Trotter is involved with his philanthropic Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation and other causes. He was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award in 2005 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. He invites groups of public high school students into his restaurant as part of his Excellence Program 2 to 3 times per week: they eat a meal and are told how the food was prepared and the motivations of those preparing it.
Trotter also is 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.
Charlie Trotter made a cameo appearance in the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy film directed by P. J. Hogan. It stars Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Philip Bosco.The film received mostly positive reviews from critics...
, 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.
Restaurants
- Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago opened in 1987, and as of March 2011 is the only currently-operating restaurant of Trotter.
It was named as the 30th-best restaurant in the world
Restaurant (magazine) Top 50
The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants is produced by British magazine Restaurant based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. In addition to the main ranking, the Chef's Choice list is based on votes from the fifty head chefs from the restaurants...
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
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
. It has also been recognized as one of The Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. by GAYOT.com. T
- Trotter also owns Trotter's To Go, a high-end delicatessenDelicatessenDelicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
and catering store in Lincoln Park, ChicagoLincoln Park, ChicagoLincoln Park, is one of the 77 community areas on Chicago, Illinois North Side, USA. Named after Lincoln Park, a vast park bordering Lake Michigan, the community area is anchored by the Lincoln Park Zoo and DePaul University...
.
Former
- 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 GuideMichelinMichelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
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. It closed in March 2010. - In 2004, Trotter opened C, a seafood restaurant in Los CabosLos CabosLos Cabos is a municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo , as well as the Resort Corridor that lies between the two...
, Mexico. It closed in November 2008. - Trotter had planned to open a restaurant in New York City in a new building being built at One Madison ParkOne Madison ParkOne Madison Park is a luxury residential condominium tower at 22 East 23rd Street, at the foot of Madison Avenue, across from Madison Square Park in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City.-History:...
, but a foreclosure crisis prevented it.
Published works
- Charlie Trotter's 1994 ISBN 0-89815-628-9
- Charlie Trotter's Vegetables 1996 ISBN 0-89815-838-9
- Charlie Trotter's Seafood 1997 ISBN 0-89815-898-2
- Gourmet Cooking for Dummies 1997 ISBN 0-7645-5029-2
- Charlie Trotter's Desserts 1998 ISBN 0-89815-815-X
- The Kitchen Sessions With Charlie Trotter 1999 ISBN 0-89815-997-0
- Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home 2000 ISBN 1-58008-250-5
- Charlie Trotter's Meat and Game 2001 ISBN 1-58008-238-6
- Workin' More Kitchen Sessions With Charlie Trotter 2004 ISBN 1-58008-613-6
- Homecooking with Charlie Trotter 2009
Coauthored
- Clarke, Paul and Charlie Trotter. Lessons in Excellence from Charlie Trotter 1999 ISBN 0-89815-908-3
- Lawler, Edmund and Charlie Trotter. Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter 2001 ISBN 1-58008-315-3
- Trotter, Charlie and Roxanne Klein. Raw 2003 ISBN 1-58008-470-2