Charlie Trotter

Chef, Restaurateur, Author & Series Host  

Early Years

Anyone who has had the pleasure of dining at Charlie Trotter's famed namesake restaurant in Chicago would find Trotter's claim that "food wasn't a big deal growing up" very hard to believe. Up through and including his first year at the University of Wisconsin, Charlie Trotter's passion was gymnastics. By the luck of the draw, his college roommates all liked to cook, and actually competed with each other as to who could make the most elaborate 5 course meal. This was the beginning of "the bug for the restaurant life".

Taking a year off from college to work as a waiter and a bartender, Trotter started as a trainee with the dining room team but soon talked his way into the kitchen. He worked at Sinclair's Restaurant in Lake Forest, Illinois (owned by Gordon Sinclair who later launched Chicago's landmark Gordon's Restaurant) along with Norman Van Aken, who would later pioneer South Florida's new world cuisine. Following a stint with Bradley Ogden in San Francisco, Trotter rejoined Sinclair and Van Aken to open Sinclair's American Grill in Jupiter Beach, Florida. Returning to Chicago, Trotter began catering elaborate dinner parties in private homes while waiting to completion of his own restaurant, which he would launch with the enthusiastic support of many of these same catering customers.

Current Projects

Charlie Trotter's was an instant success, and today reservations must be made 1-2 months in advance. Combining impeccable ingredients, with French techniques, and Asian influences, every meal spectacularly displays Trotter's passion for cooking, desire for perfection, and quest to find the ultimate food combinations. He has a very close working relationship with the front-of-the-house, dining room, and kitchen teams, and while Trotter expects a lot from his staff, and from the food, he gives so much back in return.

Trotter believes that cooking is like making music, an artistic combination of classic techniques and spontaneity. Combining impeccable ingredients, with French techniques, and Asian influences, every meal spectacularly displays Trotter's passion for cooking, desire for perfection, and quest to find the ultimate food combinations.

The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter , the book and series on PBS, fully showcases Trotter's creative style of improvisation. Greatly inspired by the great jazz musicians of the 40's-60's, Trotter believes that cooking is like making music, an artistic combination of classic techniques and spontaneity. Charlie Trotter has authored several other books, including:

• Charlie Trotter's
• Charlie Trotter's Vegetables
• Charlie Trotter's Seafood
• Charlie Trotter's Desserts
• Gourmet Cooking for Dummies

Full of instruction on technique and beautiful photography, with each book Trotter share's his knowledge and his passion.

Recognition

The style of food and level of service at Charlie Trotters has set the restaurant above nearly all others, with consistent AAA 5-Diamond and Mobil 5-Star ratings, along with the Relais & Chateaux Relais Gourmands designation the restaurant has received every year since 1995. The restaurant has also received the Wine Spectator's Best Restaurant in the World (2000). The prestigious James Beard Foundation named Charlie Trotter Chef of the Year in 1999, awarded the restaurant Outstanding Restaurant (2000), and named The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter TV Series the Best National Television Cooking Show (2000).

Charlie Trotter's culinary philosophy is to use high quality, organic and seasonal ingredients, and to combine cooking and eating in a way that is easy to understand, and a pleasure for all the senses. Every component of every dish is of the finest food products available. The restaurant is one of the finest in the world. Throughout the culinary world, Charlie Trotter is a force, with a clear vision of how food was meant to be experienced. Charlie Trotter's is a world-class restaurant. Charlie Trotter is a world-class chef.

Visit Chef Charlie Trotter at www.charlietrotters.com