More than a decade after closing, Charlie Trotter’s namesake Lincoln Park restaurant is set to reopen later this year. That’s according to the late chef’s son, Dylan, who also collaborated with chef Grant Achatz for the sold-out pop-up series this month in tribute to Trotter.
“Love Charlie” documentary filmmaker Rebecca Halpern told the City Cast Chicago podcast what made Trotter so complicated and how he helped put Chicago on the culinary map.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Why was it a big deal when Charlie Trotter’s opened in 1987?
“ Well, first of all, nobody knew who he was. Back then in Chicago, if you weren't French [as a chef], you were nobody.”
“ Also, Charlie Trotter grew up in a very privileged environment. His father bankrolled the restaurant for him, and people resented him for that because they thought, ‘Who's this entitled kid coming in here?’”
“ Charlie Trotter went on a backpacking trip through Europe where he ate at some of the world's best French restaurants. So he had the dining experience from the perspective of a customer. Then he went to work for a few months in a restaurant here and a few months there, and then he did a couple months at a culinary school. But it wasn't like this yearslong education and cooking.”
Trotter was hailed as a culinary pioneer and accused of being an abusive employer. Were there people who didn't want to talk in the documentary or relive those memories?
“We had as many people say they didn't wanna talk to us because of the bad work experience that they had and as many people who wanted to protect his legacy because they loved the work experience.”
What is something you hope viewers learn watching this documentary about Trotter?
“ I want people to walk away from watching this movie thinking about how are they excellent in their own lives? What does excellence mean to them? A lot of people say Charlie Trotter was a perfectionist. That couldn't be further from the truth. He hated perfection. It was perfection that was boring to him. He considered himself an ‘excellent-cist.’ This is a word that he invented. That's all about the process. It's about the love and care that you pour into every single thing you do every day.”
