Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter

In the 2000s, chef Charlie Trotter was the toast of Chicago, his eponymous restaurant one of the world’s top fine-dining destinations. A gastronomic revolutionary and a culinary bad-boy, Trotter paved the way for the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, yet his tempestuous, competitive nature alienated many. With never-before-seen archival material and new interviews with those who loved and loathed Trotter—who died from a stroke in 2013 at age 54—this absorbing, unvarnished profile chronicles the passions of a master chef and the consequences of pursuing perfection at all costs. In the 2000s, chef Charlie Trotter was the toast of Chicago, his eponymous restaurant one of the world’s top fine-dining destinations. A gastronomic revolutionary and a culinary bad-boy, Trotter paved the way for the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, yet his tempestuous, competitive nature alienated many. With never-before-seen archival material and new interviews with those who loved and loathed Trotter—who died from a stroke in 2013 at age 54—this absorbing, unvarnished profile chronicles the passions of a master chef and the consequences of pursuing perfection at all costs. In the 2000s, chef Charlie Trotter was the toast of Chicago, his eponymous restaurant one of the world’s top fine-dining destinations. A gastronomic revolutionary and a culinary bad-boy, Trotter paved the way for the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, yet his tempestuous, competitive nature alienated many. With never-before-seen archival material and new interviews with those who loved and loathed Trotter—who died from a stroke in 2013 at age 54—this absorbing, unvarnished profile chronicles the passions of a master chef and the consequences of pursuing perfection at all costs. In the 2000s, chef Charlie Trotter was the toast of Chicago, his eponymous restaurant one of the world’s top fine-dining destinations. A gastronomic revolutionary and a culinary bad-boy, Trotter paved the way for the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, yet his tempestuous, competitive nature alienated many. With never-before-seen archival material and new interviews with those who loved and loathed Trotter—who died from a stroke in 2013 at age 54—this absorbing, unvarnished profile chronicles the passions of a master chef and the consequences of pursuing perfection at all costs.