The Legacy of Charlie Trotter’s Lives on in the Hands of the Chef’s Son | Eater Chicago
"A landmark fine-dining address at 826 W. Armitage Avenue that sparked a culinary revolution in Chicago after opening in 1987, famed for its obsessive commitment to sourcing, daily changes to an elaborate tasting menu, a celebration of vegetables, and a willingness to push boundaries (including a love of game meat as a counterpoint to wagyu hysteria). Patrons were famously loyal and willing to spend — one diner, investment banker Ray Harris, “claims he never had the same meal twice after visiting 424 times.” The space closed in 2012 and the chef died in 2013, but the bronze sign and many memories remained; the son has taken control and is restoring the 1881 building with a DIY approach (replacing paint, matching the original crimson carpet, updating exit signs and lighting) while reimagining the interior into a nostalgic first-floor “Charlie’s Room” and a more personal second-floor “Dylan’s Room” with new Italian sconces and a rebuilt wine cellar. Cookbooks (now out of print) are prized artifacts—he plans to digitize photos to inspire a new generation—and memorabilia still lines the kitchen walls. Friends and colleagues repeatedly stress the weight of legacy: Carrie Nahabedian told him, “He wants to preserve his own legacy — this is his to preserve — not necessarily just his father’s... He’s the guardian of it.” Tentori reflected, “Being in a restaurant with so much culinary history and getting to dine in the kitchen gave me chills,” adding, “The next generation doesn’t know Charlie’s story.” Dylan Trotter, who found his father after the stroke and says, “I’m the one who found him,” is deliberate about reopening: “I want to get it right.” The history also includes controversies and toughness — the chef once ranked No. 2 on a list of the city’s worst bosses and was openly competitive about it — but many protégés acknowledge both his exacting manner and his influence on chefs nationwide." - Ashok Selvam
