Charlie Trotter is a famous Chicago chef and owner of the eponymous upscale restaurant Charlie Trotter's. The restaurant has a nationwide reputation and is often mentioned in publications such as Wine Spectator which named it "The Best Restaurant in the World for Wine & Food" in 1998 and "America's Best Restaurant" in 2000. In addition, it has also received Five Stars from the Mobil Travel Guide, Five Diamonds by AAA and seven James Beard Foundation awards.

Charlie Trotter started cooking professionally in 1982 after graduating with a degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin. For the next 5 years, he worked and intensively studied in Chicago, San Francisco at the California Culinary Academy, Florida and Europe. Opening in 1987, Charlie Trotter's was instantly received to high critical and public acclaim.

Charlie Trotter is the host of the award-winning 1999 PBS cooking show The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter. On the show he goes into detail about his recipes and cooking techniques. Trotter is also the author of ten cookbooks and has a line of gourmet foods sold under his name. Trotter owns Trotter's To Go, a high-end delicatessen and catering storefront located in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

In February 2004, C, a fine-dining seafood restaurant, opened in Los Cabos, Mexico under the direction of Charlie Trotter. Most recently, Trotter has announced a new restaurant that will open in the Time Warner Center in New York City early in 2006.

In addition to his culinary endeavors, Trotter is involved in philanthropic activities, including his own Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation. In 2004, Chef Trotter was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Charlie Trotter made a cameo appearance in the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding, screaming at an assistant "If you don't get this right, I'll kill your whole family." Although the role is a parody of a stereotypical screaming angry chef, it is noted in the book Lessons in Excellence that Trotter has exacting standards which have contributed in part to both his success and criticisms.

Most recently, Mr. Trotter has become the center of a politcal debate in Chicago over foie gras. Mr. Trotter claims that he stopped serving foie gras several years ago because it is a cruel practice (although he has allowed guest chefs to prepare foie gras in his restaurant since this announcement). Mr. Trotter was publicly criticized by Rick Tramanto of Tru, and the two chefs carried on a very public debate over foie gras. This culminated in an ordinance propsing that foie gras be banned in Chicago restaurants by Alderman Joe Moore (who admits that he has never eaten foie gras, but is not a vegetarian). The ban passed in April 2006 and Charlie Trotter is cited as the inspiration for the foie gras ban in the introduction and text of the ordinance.

Books by Charlie Trotter

• Charlie Trotter's 1994 ISBN 0898156289
• Charlie Trotter's Vegetables 1996 ISBN 0898158389
• Charlie Trotter's Seafood 1997 ISBN 0898158982
• Gourmet Cooking for Dummies 1997 ISBN 0764550292
• Charlie Trotter's Desserts 1998 ISBN 089815815X
• The Kitchen Sessions With Charlie Trotter 1999 ISBN 0898159970
• Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home 2000 ISBN 1580082505
• Charlie Trotter's Meat and Game 2001 ISBN 1580082386
• Workin' More Kitchen Sessions With Charlie Trotter 2004 ISBN 1580086136

Coauthored by Charlie Trotter

• Clarke, Paul and Charlie Trotter. Lessons in Excellence from Charlie Trotter 1999 ISBN 0898159083
• Lawler, Edward and Charlie Trotter. Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter 2001 ISBN 1580083153
• Trotter, Charlie and Roxanne Klein. Raw 2003 ISBN 1580084702

External links

• Charlie Trotter's – Charlie Trotter's site
• MyRefined Review: Charlie Trotter's

American chefs