Michael Carlson
Encyclopedia
Michael Carlson is a chef and restaurateur from Chicago, Illinois. After dropping out of culinary school, Carlson got his start in the industry working under Paul Bartolotta. From there he studied abroad in Italy under Valentino Marcattilii, and in England under Heston Blumenthal
. Carlson says he learned more from American chef Grant Achatz
than anyone else.
In late 2005 Carlson opened his first restaurant – Schwa
– in Chicago. He quickly earned a positive reputation and Food & Wine
magazine named him one of 2006's top new chefs. In 2007, Carlson was asked to host a gathering of world-famous chefs including Ferran Adrià
, Heston Blumenthal
, Thomas Keller
and for Charlie Trotter
's 20th anniversary celebration. The night went well, but put a severe strain on Carlson. He abruptly closed Schwa the next morning, and left the industry for four months before re-opening Schwa in February 2008.
Carlson is known for his "unstressed" approach to food, creating simple dishes from unconventional ingredients. He is known as a perfectionist
who does not like standing still professionally. One food critic described Carlson as "culinary maverick ... whose choices often [fly] in the face of fine-dining expectations."
Despite Carlson's culinary skill, Schwa has struggled to remain afloat. Friends have attributed this to a complete lack of business acumen on Carlson's part, as well as his general lack of interest in material possessions. He has said he would rather cook and run his business the way he wants than make money.
Outsiders view Carlson as an inconsiderate recluse
, but co-workers describe him as a kind and generous person. Carlson is known for his casual demeanor and conversation. He lives with his girlfriend, Rachel Brown, and his two-year-old daughter, Lily, in Logan Square
.
. The son of a financial planner
father, Stan, and dental hygienist
mother, Carlson describes his childhood as "normal." His parents divorce
d and his father served as a colonel in the US army reserves during the Gulf War
. As a result, he briefly lived with his older brother during his teens.
Carlson says he is not sure when he first became interested in food, although his mother ascribes his interest to watching Julia Child
as a young boy. He does, however, remember his first encounter with gourmet cooking. At age 12, while staying at a fancy hotel in Quebec
, he had duck with blueberries at the hotel's restaurant. He got his first professional cooking experience while working a local bar during college.
In 1998, after completing college Carlson enrolled at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago
(CHIC) and got chef's position at Spiaggia under Paul Bartolotta. He quit CHIC after one semester, due in part to an instructor who began a pasta
-making class by demonstrating the proper way to open a box. Bartolotta, however, saw promise in Carlson and arranged for him to study under Valentino Marcattilii at San Domenico in Italy. While in Italy, Carlson staged
at more than fifteen different restaurants. Carlson describes the experience as a turning point in his career. "It was the first time I really thought about food," he explains.
Upon returning to the states, Carlson became Grant Achatz
's first hire at Trio. Carlson stayed at Trio for about 18 months, before moving to England
to train under Heston Blumenthal
at The Fat Duck
. Carlson later described Achatz as the best chef he ever worked for and said he learned more under Achatz than he did in four years elsewhere. He enjoyed the job at Trio so much that he went in to work on his days off, despite only earning $20,000 a year.
that was about to open. He was planning on accepting the position, but before the restaurant opened he bumped into an old friend. As it happened, the friend owned a small restaurant named Lovitt, which he was planning on closing in order to move out of state. Carlson fell in love with the space, and worked at Lovitt for several months before it closed, learning the business end of being a chef. Lovitt closed in the fall of 2005, and Carlson was offered the restaurant's equipment for a bargain price. Financed by his father, Carlson opened Schwa in Lovitt's old location. Schwa quickly gained the attention of both local and national critics. By May 2006, Chicago magazine
had made note of Carlson's rapid rise saying "We love his food – and his genuine sense of surprise at Schwa’s success." At the end of 2006, Schwa was named one of Citysearch
's "Top 10 New Restaurants" of 2006.
Schwa combines "unstressed," upscale food with a "laid-back atmosphere."
's 20th anniversary celebration. At first Carlson declined the offer, but reconsidered saying "how often do you get to cook for those cats?" The event was only eleven days away, and Carlson was ill-equipped to handle the large party of famous chefs. He fired a cook he did not feel was worthy and had to borrow the services of his former, and Grant Achatz's current, sous-chef Nathan Klingbail. He had to buy more plates and went virtually without sleep. "You couldn’t imagine the anxiety," Carlson explains.
When the big day arrived, the guest list included more than a dozen world famous chefs including Ferran Adria
, Heston Blumenthal
, Thomas Keller
, and Pierre Hermé
. The evening included an elaborate 14-course, 4-hour meal which Carlson later described "It was as high a pinnacle as you could ever have. It will never get better than that." He stated the event was "the most important night of [his] career," and refused to accept payment for his services.
The guests were delighted with the food. Blumenthal said he "ate everything on [his] plate" and that he loved the passion, while Adria added that the staff was "young and brilliant." Herme said he "enjoyed all the different flavors and textures," while Trotter himself described Carlson as brilliant. Mike Sheerin summed it up: "It was really an amazing dinner."
Despite its success, the service was a severe strain on Carlson. He called his father after everyone left and said "I don’t know if I have anything else in me now. The next morning he closed Schwa, leaving behind a stocked refrigerator and full reservation book. Carlson went on a drinking and drug binge and disappeared completely for public life for four months. At the age of 33, his career was assumed to be over.
. This is an Oscar-worthy redemption story. Are you listening, Hollywood?"
In 2009, Carlson was again asked by Trotter to host an evening of world-famous chefs. This time Trotter insisted on paying and Carlson survived the evening without incident. Carlson continues to work long-hours, sometimes with his family at his side, but says he would not change anything, describing cooking as a "dream job." He has said he has no interest in cashing in on the current celebrity-chef craze, and does not see himself ever leaving Chicago. He was selected to appear on Iron Chef America
, but declined to participate.
is considered his signature dish. The one element that ties all Carlson's dishes together is fat. "Fat carries flavor really well," he explains.
Carlson does not serve bread, once stating that he did not believe in it. He likes to combine sophisticated ingredients like brioche
and quail eggs with a casual atmosphere. Carlson lists "pork bellies, lardo
and large quantities of fat" as his favorite ingredients, and serves purée
s with most dishes.
Carlson cooking techniques have been described as "avant-garde," "innovative,", and "high-tech chemistry." He sometimes employs the sous-vide
method of cooking and is known to use unconventional tools as such emulsifying gels
, congealing agents, foams
, and liquid nitrogen
. Carlson lists Achatz and Blumenthal as his biggest influences, but lists Bertolotta and Marcattilii as also contributing to his Italian-style dishes. He adds that Alinea is his "favorite restaurant for sure."
Carlson does not like standing still professionally. His girlfriend Rachel Brown observes, "He thinks what he did last year isn’t good enough for this year." Schwa is infamous for disappearing dishes. "If he’s bored with something, no matter how many people love it and demand it, he’s done with it," says Brown. On the other hand, Carlson has no interest in transitioning from chef to chef-restaurateur. He has rejected offers of investment and calls to move to a better location with more space. "Nah, I’m happy," with the way things are, he says. Carlson is said to be a perfectionist when it comes to food, and has only missed one night of work in his career at Schwa.
Food critics generally appreciate what Carlson does. Writing for the Chicago Tribune
, food critic Phil Vettel describes Carlson as "creative with his ingredients, artistic in his presentations and utterly fearless with flavor pairings." Another critic called him a "culinary maverick ... whose choices often [fly] in the face of fine-dining expectations." Alan Richman
describes Schwa's caramelized sweetbread
dessert as "the finest dessert ever to emerge from foodstuffs that have no logical reason being used in a dessert." BlackBook Magazine
has described Carlson as "culinary genius" and "one of Chicago’s best chefs," while Frommer's
remarks "Carlson's sensory imagination sometimes rises to the level of sheer poetry." Fellow Chicago chef and mentor, Grant Achatz, sums Carlson up: "This guy can cook. He was one of the most talented and dedicated chefs that I have ever worked with."
In 2006, Food & Wine
magazine named Carlson one of the year's top new chefs, remarking "he ingeniously combines a classic Italian cooking sensibility with avant-garde techniques." Also in 2006, Chicago
magazine named him "Best Chef" in their annual "Best of the Best" feature. In 2007, he won the Jean Banchet Award for rising chef of the year. In 2008, Maxim
described Chicago as "America’s mecca for forward-looking cuisine," listing Carlson as one of four Chicago chefs driving cuisine forward. The magazine also listed Carlson's prosciutto
consommé
as a factor in naming Chicago the year's "Tastiest City."
Carlson has been nominated for top chef honors in the 2010 Jean Banchet Awards.
Part of the problem arises from Carlson's lack of focus on money and material possessions. "If he and I and our daughter were living in the woods, he’d be fine," his girlfriend Rachel Brown remarked. Carlson has said he would rather run his business the way he wants than make money. Carlson has repeatedly rejected buyout offers, as well as friendly offers to help him expand, including from Trotter himself, saying that he is happy with the way things are.
Carlson's father, who is 49% owner in Schwa, is currently trying to teach Carlson how to run a business properly. So far the lessons have not yielded significant results. For example, Carlson has lost the business's credit card on multiple occasions.
Carlson's co-workers, however, adore him, and view him as a sort of mad genius, a wild chef with a compassionate heart. Fellow Chicago chef and friend Stephanie Izard
remarks "You want to jump into his mind for a day. But you’re also afraid you’ll run away screaming... He sees things in different ways than anybody else. He’s mind-churningly brilliant." Carlson's sous-chef Gaetano Nardulli describes him as "the nicest, most generous person I’ve met." Schwa chef Jonathan Ory says Carlson is a little nuts, but adds "what makes him nuts is that he’s striving to be perfect." Carlson once told an eager young chef who could not afford to eat at Schwa "for you we have a discount price of zero, man."
Carlson is known for his unusually casual style of conversation which entails ending most sentences with "man." GQ magazine described him as "the last hipster dude." If he was not a chef, Carlson says he would be "the world-famous poker player with the cowboy hat and sunglasses sitting in the corner."
Carlson and his girlfriend Rachel Brown live in a three-bedroom apartment in Logan Square
. The couple met through Brown's roommate, who was working for Carlson at the time. They have a two-year-old daughter named Lily and a Siberian husky
named Furious George. Carlson spends two hours playing with Lily each morning before he leaves for work, and describes those hours as the best part of his day.
Carlson lists former employee, and current sous-chef of Alinea
, Nathan Klingbail as his best friend. Klingbail is the godfather of Lily.
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
. Carlson says he learned more from American chef Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz is an American chef and restaurateur often identified as one of the leaders in molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine...
than anyone else.
In late 2005 Carlson opened his first restaurant – Schwa
Schwa (restaurant)
Schwa is an acclaimed, upscale restaurant run by chef-owner Michael Carlson in Chicago, USA. It is located in the West Town community area and is considered a leader in the emerging molecular gastronomy style of cooking. Schwa is known for its unconventional approach to business. Simple table...
– in Chicago. He quickly earned a positive reputation and Food & Wine
Food & Wine
Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
magazine named him one of 2006's top new chefs. In 2007, Carlson was asked to host a gathering of world-famous chefs including Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a Catalan chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.-Career:...
, Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
, Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997...
and for Charlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter is a chef and restaurateur.-Biography:A graduate of New Trier High School, 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...
's 20th anniversary celebration. The night went well, but put a severe strain on Carlson. He abruptly closed Schwa the next morning, and left the industry for four months before re-opening Schwa in February 2008.
Carlson is known for his "unstressed" approach to food, creating simple dishes from unconventional ingredients. He is known as a perfectionist
Perfectionism (psychology)
Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that a state of completeness and flawlessness can and should be attained. In its pathological form, perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable...
who does not like standing still professionally. One food critic described Carlson as "culinary maverick ... whose choices often [fly] in the face of fine-dining expectations."
Despite Carlson's culinary skill, Schwa has struggled to remain afloat. Friends have attributed this to a complete lack of business acumen on Carlson's part, as well as his general lack of interest in material possessions. He has said he would rather cook and run his business the way he wants than make money.
Outsiders view Carlson as an inconsiderate recluse
Recluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...
, but co-workers describe him as a kind and generous person. Carlson is known for his casual demeanor and conversation. He lives with his girlfriend, Rachel Brown, and his two-year-old daughter, Lily, in Logan Square
Logan Square, Chicago
Logan Square is one of the 77 city-designated community areas located on the near northwest side of the City of Chicago. The name, used here to describe the community area defined by U.S. census tracts, also applies to one of a number of smaller, more loosely defined residential neighborhoods...
.
Background
Michael Carlson was born June 5, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Chicago suburbs of Glen Ellyn and LombardLombard, Illinois
Lombard, "The Lilac Village", is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 42,322 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2004 to be 42,975.-History:...
. The son of a financial planner
Financial planner
A financial planner or personal financial planner is a practicing professional who helps people deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning, which includes: cash flow management, education planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance...
father, Stan, and dental hygienist
Dental hygienist
thumb|right|300px|Dental hygienist holding a scalerA dental hygienist is a licensed dental professional who specializes in preventive oral health, typically focusing on techniques in oral hygiene. Local dental regulations determine the scope of practice of dental hygienists...
mother, Carlson describes his childhood as "normal." His parents divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d and his father served as a colonel in the US army reserves during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. As a result, he briefly lived with his older brother during his teens.
Carlson says he is not sure when he first became interested in food, although his mother ascribes his interest to watching Julia Child
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
as a young boy. He does, however, remember his first encounter with gourmet cooking. At age 12, while staying at a fancy hotel in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, he had duck with blueberries at the hotel's restaurant. He got his first professional cooking experience while working a local bar during college.
In 1998, after completing college Carlson enrolled at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago
Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago
The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago , an affiliate of Le Cordon Bleu, was founded in 1983. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is located in Chicago, Illinois...
(CHIC) and got chef's position at Spiaggia under Paul Bartolotta. He quit CHIC after one semester, due in part to an instructor who began a pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
-making class by demonstrating the proper way to open a box. Bartolotta, however, saw promise in Carlson and arranged for him to study under Valentino Marcattilii at San Domenico in Italy. While in Italy, Carlson staged
Stage (cooking)
Staging is when a cook or chef works briefly, for free, in another chef's kitchen to learn and be exposed to new techniques and cuisines.A stage normally is used to see how a new chef or cook can adapt to the current environment in the kitchen...
at more than fifteen different restaurants. Carlson describes the experience as a turning point in his career. "It was the first time I really thought about food," he explains.
Upon returning to the states, Carlson became Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz is an American chef and restaurateur often identified as one of the leaders in molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine...
's first hire at Trio. Carlson stayed at Trio for about 18 months, before moving to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to train under Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
at The Fat Duck
The Fat Duck
The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, England. The restaurant is known for its menu of unusual dishes, created following the principles of molecular gastronomy examples include: "snail porridge", "sardine on toast sorbet", "bacon and egg ice cream", and...
. Carlson later described Achatz as the best chef he ever worked for and said he learned more under Achatz than he did in four years elsewhere. He enjoyed the job at Trio so much that he went in to work on his days off, despite only earning $20,000 a year.
Schwa
Carlson returned to Chicago and was offered the sous-chef position at Achatz's AlineaAlinea (restaurant)
Alinea is a restaurant in Chicago that opened on May 4, 2005. Its head chef and owner, Grant Achatz, is known for his preparations and deconstructions of classic flavors....
that was about to open. He was planning on accepting the position, but before the restaurant opened he bumped into an old friend. As it happened, the friend owned a small restaurant named Lovitt, which he was planning on closing in order to move out of state. Carlson fell in love with the space, and worked at Lovitt for several months before it closed, learning the business end of being a chef. Lovitt closed in the fall of 2005, and Carlson was offered the restaurant's equipment for a bargain price. Financed by his father, Carlson opened Schwa in Lovitt's old location. Schwa quickly gained the attention of both local and national critics. By May 2006, Chicago magazine
Chicago (magazine)
Chicago is a monthly magazine published by the Tribune Company. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, larger than People in its market...
had made note of Carlson's rapid rise saying "We love his food – and his genuine sense of surprise at Schwa’s success." At the end of 2006, Schwa was named one of Citysearch
Citysearch
Citysearch is an online city guide that provides information about businesses in the categories of dining, entertainment, retail, travel, and professional services in cities throughout the United States. Visitors to each of Citysearch's local city guides will find contact information, maps, driving...
's "Top 10 New Restaurants" of 2006.
Schwa combines "unstressed," upscale food with a "laid-back atmosphere."
Anniversary celebration
In October 2007, Carlson was invited to host many of the world's top chefs as part of Charlie TrotterCharlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter is a chef and restaurateur.-Biography:A graduate of New Trier High School, 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...
's 20th anniversary celebration. At first Carlson declined the offer, but reconsidered saying "how often do you get to cook for those cats?" The event was only eleven days away, and Carlson was ill-equipped to handle the large party of famous chefs. He fired a cook he did not feel was worthy and had to borrow the services of his former, and Grant Achatz's current, sous-chef Nathan Klingbail. He had to buy more plates and went virtually without sleep. "You couldn’t imagine the anxiety," Carlson explains.
When the big day arrived, the guest list included more than a dozen world famous chefs including Ferran Adria
Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a Catalan chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.-Career:...
, Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
, Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997...
, and Pierre Hermé
Pierre Hermé
Pierre Hermé is a French pastry chef most famous for his macarons, often with unusual flavor combinations. French Vogue magazine dubbed him "The Picasso of Pastry."- Food :...
. The evening included an elaborate 14-course, 4-hour meal which Carlson later described "It was as high a pinnacle as you could ever have. It will never get better than that." He stated the event was "the most important night of [his] career," and refused to accept payment for his services.
The guests were delighted with the food. Blumenthal said he "ate everything on [his] plate" and that he loved the passion, while Adria added that the staff was "young and brilliant." Herme said he "enjoyed all the different flavors and textures," while Trotter himself described Carlson as brilliant. Mike Sheerin summed it up: "It was really an amazing dinner."
Despite its success, the service was a severe strain on Carlson. He called his father after everyone left and said "I don’t know if I have anything else in me now. The next morning he closed Schwa, leaving behind a stocked refrigerator and full reservation book. Carlson went on a drinking and drug binge and disappeared completely for public life for four months. At the age of 33, his career was assumed to be over.
Comeback
After a three month "physical, emotional, and spiritual break," Carlson got the urge to return to cooking. He reopened Schwa in February 2008, promising to strike a better work-family balance to avoid burning out again. He hired an additional chef, created a less labor-intensive menu, and turned more of his attention to the dining room. The customers quickly returned, as did the critic's praise, leading one observer to write "Forget RatatouilleRatatouille (film)
Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the eighth film produced by Pixar, and was directed by Brad Bird, who took over from Jan Pinkava in 2005...
. This is an Oscar-worthy redemption story. Are you listening, Hollywood?"
In 2009, Carlson was again asked by Trotter to host an evening of world-famous chefs. This time Trotter insisted on paying and Carlson survived the evening without incident. Carlson continues to work long-hours, sometimes with his family at his side, but says he would not change anything, describing cooking as a "dream job." He has said he has no interest in cashing in on the current celebrity-chef craze, and does not see himself ever leaving Chicago. He was selected to appear on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, but declined to participate.
Approach to food and critical acclaim
The Chicago Sun-Times describes Carlson's cooking style as "New American", but Carlson himself prefers the description "unstressed food." "What's most important is that everyone ... has an incredible time," he says. One of Carlson's favorite cooking techniques is to make ingredients that people normally would not tolerate into something palatable. He is known to combine ingredients in bizarre ways, such as pairing oysters with oatmeal and raisins. Despite these wild dishes, Carlson is perhaps best known for his simplistic, modern interpretations of classic Italian dishes. His quail egg ravioliRavioli
Ravioli are a traditional type of Italian filled pasta. They are composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin egg pasta dough and are served either in broth or with a pasta sauce. The word ravioli is reminiscent of the Italian verb riavvolgere , though the two words are not...
is considered his signature dish. The one element that ties all Carlson's dishes together is fat. "Fat carries flavor really well," he explains.
Carlson does not serve bread, once stating that he did not believe in it. He likes to combine sophisticated ingredients like brioche
Brioche
Brioche is a highly enriched French pastry, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs" It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied...
and quail eggs with a casual atmosphere. Carlson lists "pork bellies, lardo
Lardo
Lardo is a type of salume made by curing strips of fatback with rosemary and other herbs and spices.The most famous lardo is from the Tuscan hamlet of Colonnata, where lardo has been made since Roman times...
and large quantities of fat" as his favorite ingredients, and serves purée
Purée
Purée and mash are general terms for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended, and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., mashed potatoes or apple sauce...
s with most dishes.
Carlson cooking techniques have been described as "avant-garde," "innovative,", and "high-tech chemistry." He sometimes employs the sous-vide
Sous-vide
Sous-vide is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for a long time—72 hours is not unusual—at an accurately determined temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around...
method of cooking and is known to use unconventional tools as such emulsifying gels
Emulsion
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...
, congealing agents, foams
Foam (culinary)
Foam has been used in many forms in the history of cooking: for example, whipped cream, meringue, and mousse are all foams. In these cases, the incorporation of air or another gas creates a lighter texture and/or different mouth feel....
, and liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
. Carlson lists Achatz and Blumenthal as his biggest influences, but lists Bertolotta and Marcattilii as also contributing to his Italian-style dishes. He adds that Alinea is his "favorite restaurant for sure."
Carlson does not like standing still professionally. His girlfriend Rachel Brown observes, "He thinks what he did last year isn’t good enough for this year." Schwa is infamous for disappearing dishes. "If he’s bored with something, no matter how many people love it and demand it, he’s done with it," says Brown. On the other hand, Carlson has no interest in transitioning from chef to chef-restaurateur. He has rejected offers of investment and calls to move to a better location with more space. "Nah, I’m happy," with the way things are, he says. Carlson is said to be a perfectionist when it comes to food, and has only missed one night of work in his career at Schwa.
Food critics generally appreciate what Carlson does. Writing for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, food critic Phil Vettel describes Carlson as "creative with his ingredients, artistic in his presentations and utterly fearless with flavor pairings." Another critic called him a "culinary maverick ... whose choices often [fly] in the face of fine-dining expectations." Alan Richman
Alan Richman
Alan Richman is an American journalist and food writer. He is perhaps best known as a food correspondent for GQ magazine, and has won 14 James Beard Foundation Award for journalism .-Early life and education:...
describes Schwa's caramelized sweetbread
Sweetbread
Sweetbreads or ris are culinary names for the thymus or the pancreas especially of the calf and lamb...
dessert as "the finest dessert ever to emerge from foodstuffs that have no logical reason being used in a dessert." BlackBook Magazine
BlackBook Magazine
BlackBook is an American arts and culture magazine published 8x a year. Founded in 1996 as a quarterly publication, BlackBook has now expanded to a circulation of roughly 150,000. The magazine covers topics ranging from art, music, and literature to politics, popular culture, and travel guides....
has described Carlson as "culinary genius" and "one of Chicago’s best chefs," while Frommer's
Frommer's
Frommer's is a travel guidebook series and one of the bestselling travel guides in America. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's book, Europe on $5 a Day. Frommer's has expanded to include over 350 guidebooks across 14 series, as well as other media including the award...
remarks "Carlson's sensory imagination sometimes rises to the level of sheer poetry." Fellow Chicago chef and mentor, Grant Achatz, sums Carlson up: "This guy can cook. He was one of the most talented and dedicated chefs that I have ever worked with."
In 2006, Food & Wine
Food & Wine
Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
magazine named Carlson one of the year's top new chefs, remarking "he ingeniously combines a classic Italian cooking sensibility with avant-garde techniques." Also in 2006, Chicago
Chicago (magazine)
Chicago is a monthly magazine published by the Tribune Company. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, larger than People in its market...
magazine named him "Best Chef" in their annual "Best of the Best" feature. In 2007, he won the Jean Banchet Award for rising chef of the year. In 2008, Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
described Chicago as "America’s mecca for forward-looking cuisine," listing Carlson as one of four Chicago chefs driving cuisine forward. The magazine also listed Carlson's prosciutto
Prosciutto
Prosciutto |ham]]) or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto....
consommé
Consommé
In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock or bouillon that has been clarified usually through a fining process involving egg protein. It usually requires an advanced knowledge of cooking and past experience to create a high quality consommé...
as a factor in naming Chicago the year's "Tastiest City."
Carlson has been nominated for top chef honors in the 2010 Jean Banchet Awards.
Business acumen
Despite Carlson's abundant culinary skills, his restaurant Schwa has struggled to stay afloat. Carlson has described the restaurant as living "from paycheck to paycheck". This has been attributed to a complete lack of business acumen, and is a source of frustration for Achatz and Trotter. Despite long reservation waiting lists, on any given night Schwa is usually half empty, partly by choice, partly because Carlson rarely answers the phone. The restaurant's voice mail is frequently full, meaning potential customers are unable to make, or cancel, reservations. Schwa does not have a liquor license, which takes away a large source of potential income (and an even larger source of potential profit). Carlson has claimed limited size of Schwa makes storing wine bottles and glasses difficult, and that it allows him to be educated by the sophisticated customers who bring in their own wines. Achatz called Carlson's decision not the offer wine "stupid," while Trotter said he was "crazy" for "leaving so much money on the friggin' table." For a portion of 2007, Carlson even closed Schwa on Saturdays – traditionally the most profitable day for restaurants – to spend time with his family.Part of the problem arises from Carlson's lack of focus on money and material possessions. "If he and I and our daughter were living in the woods, he’d be fine," his girlfriend Rachel Brown remarked. Carlson has said he would rather run his business the way he wants than make money. Carlson has repeatedly rejected buyout offers, as well as friendly offers to help him expand, including from Trotter himself, saying that he is happy with the way things are.
Carlson's father, who is 49% owner in Schwa, is currently trying to teach Carlson how to run a business properly. So far the lessons have not yielded significant results. For example, Carlson has lost the business's credit card on multiple occasions.
Personality & personal life
Although he has been described as charismatic, outsiders tend to view Michael Carlson as a recluse. They view him as inconsiderate and incapable of effective communication. Mobil Travel Guide describes him as "the enfant terrible of the Chicago dining world." Friends note that Carlson is technically inept and rarely answers his cell phone or emails.Carlson's co-workers, however, adore him, and view him as a sort of mad genius, a wild chef with a compassionate heart. Fellow Chicago chef and friend Stephanie Izard
Stephanie Izard
Stephanie Izard is an American chef residing in Chicago, Illinois, and was the winner of the fourth season of Top Chef, Bravo's cooking competition show...
remarks "You want to jump into his mind for a day. But you’re also afraid you’ll run away screaming... He sees things in different ways than anybody else. He’s mind-churningly brilliant." Carlson's sous-chef Gaetano Nardulli describes him as "the nicest, most generous person I’ve met." Schwa chef Jonathan Ory says Carlson is a little nuts, but adds "what makes him nuts is that he’s striving to be perfect." Carlson once told an eager young chef who could not afford to eat at Schwa "for you we have a discount price of zero, man."
Carlson is known for his unusually casual style of conversation which entails ending most sentences with "man." GQ magazine described him as "the last hipster dude." If he was not a chef, Carlson says he would be "the world-famous poker player with the cowboy hat and sunglasses sitting in the corner."
Carlson and his girlfriend Rachel Brown live in a three-bedroom apartment in Logan Square
Logan Square, Chicago
Logan Square is one of the 77 city-designated community areas located on the near northwest side of the City of Chicago. The name, used here to describe the community area defined by U.S. census tracts, also applies to one of a number of smaller, more loosely defined residential neighborhoods...
. The couple met through Brown's roommate, who was working for Carlson at the time. They have a two-year-old daughter named Lily and a Siberian husky
Siberian Husky
The Siberian Husky is a medium-size, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in north-eastern Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family...
named Furious George. Carlson spends two hours playing with Lily each morning before he leaves for work, and describes those hours as the best part of his day.
Carlson lists former employee, and current sous-chef of Alinea
Alinea (restaurant)
Alinea is a restaurant in Chicago that opened on May 4, 2005. Its head chef and owner, Grant Achatz, is known for his preparations and deconstructions of classic flavors....
, Nathan Klingbail as his best friend. Klingbail is the godfather of Lily.
Further reading
- Extensive article on Charlie Trotter's anniversary event held at Schwa
- "Kitchen Savant" - GQs profile of Carlson
External links
- Prosciutto Consommé recipe by Michael Carlson
- Video look inside Schwa/interview with Michael Carlson