Don’t know how many people outside of Chicago know of Trotter but he’s a legend in the world of high cuisine. Pretty shocking news.
Of course, he was also a crazy nutbag asshole… but we can save those discussions for later.
I never got to eat at Trotter’s before he closed it but wish I could have.
I sold grapes to Charlie Trotter’s. I emailed him and asked if it was okay that I included that in my marketing material , something like “Produce supplier to Charlie Trotter’s - Chicago”, never heard anything back so I took that as a yes.
I did get great feedback from the kitchen staff on the quality, although they never did tell me what they used them for.
Anyway, that’s part of the claim to fame for my little hobby farm - supplier to Charlie Trotter’s and Deca at the Chicago Ritz-Carlton.
Good lord. Yes, he’s nationally-famous, if not world-famous. Up there with Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, etc.
And it sounds like they don’t know cause, or even if an investigation is required. This could be tragic heart attack or stroke, or something different altogether.
The link in my OP says that they are expecting to conduct a death investigation at his home.
Very surprising news. A legendary individual who influenced a generation of younger chefs.
Yep it did - I phrased that completely poorly; I was meaning to imply that foul play has not yet been ruled out. I don’t mean to be prurient; only to comment on how sudden and unexpected this clearly was…
I was lucky enough to share a meal at Trotters in 2001. The bill for 4 came to over $800. The food was excellent, and I will never forget* the Rioja that was chosen for us.
*The taste, that is. The winery eludes me.
I don’t expect foul play but my hunch is either drugs or suicide.
I’m hearing it was a stroke from a reporter friend at a local paper. Nothing official yet.
I don’t think “natural causes” is at all improbable, although I have to admit that suicide was the first place my brain went. He had gained a lot of weight over the years; it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to hear that he had an ongoing cardio-vascular issue.
I got to be “chef for a day” a couple of weeks before the restaurant closed. It was a pretty awesome experience, the details of which are irrelevant to this discussion. I didn’t actually get to meet Chef Trotter; the only time I saw him that day he was giving some quite a dressing down. Didn’t seem like the best moment to introduce myself as the complete amateur working on his food that day.
And, turns out he lived just a couple of blocks away. Never knew that.
That reporter must have a hell of a forearm.
Chef Norman Van Aken on Trotter:
Being in Chicago and working in the restaurant industry here for the last 25+ years I’ve found myself moved by the tributes to him I’ve read today. Personally knowing a number of the chefs and restaurateurs who have shared their memories of him has effected me more than I would have expected.
No matter how flawed he was, Charlie Trotter clearly had an immense impact on the restaurant industry in Chicago and the U.S. The passion he felt for what he did is something I can relate to and find incredibly inspiring.