Charlie Trotter - Found Dead in his Lincoln Park Home (Ramsey: 2013, high school)

[Lookout Kid]

I know that his behavior had been erratic lately, but I'm still a bit shocked by this. It's too bad that he will be remembered for his jerky treatment of high school kids as much as his incredible talent as a chef.

Charlie Trotter dead - chicagotribune.com

[Vlajos]

Very sad.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I know that his behavior had been erratic lately, but I'm still a bit shocked by this. It's too bad that he will be remembered for his jerky treatment of high school kids as much as his incredible talent as a chef.

Charlie Trotter dead - chicagotribune.com

He won't be remembered by his last 6 months. Not when he had one of the best restaurants in the world for a decade.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

He won't be remembered by his last 6 months. Not when he had one of the best restaurants in the world for a decade.

It seemed like kind of a downward spiral, and I do think people will remember that. It will become part of his mythology.

[marothisu]

Sad. Something was up with him the last year. He seemed like a raging alcoholic or something. Sucks, but yeah - wouldn't be surprised to see his cause of death as related to that. I hope not though

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

He won't be remembered by his last 6 months. Not when he had one of the best restaurants in the world for a decade.

I think you're right.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I know that his behavior had been erratic lately, but I'm still a bit shocked by this. It's too bad that he will be remembered for his jerky treatment of high school kids as much as his incredible talent as a chef.

Charlie Trotter dead - chicagotribune.com

It's been an open secret for ages that the guy was a jerk. He just managed to make a conspicuous display of his jerkiness before signing off. So I don't necessarily think it would be "too bad" if he's known for being a jerk as much as for being an incredible chef, because by many accounts he was both in equal measure.

[chet everett]

Having high standards / demanding workplace is not the same as "being a jerk". There are long line of chefs / resturanteurs / food lovers that have nothing but fond things to say of Mr. Trotter and that stands in stark contrast to the rather petty complaints of folks with bad things to say about him personally or the way he conducted his business.

The sorts of succes that Mr. Trotter had in his career is all but unheard of, and the "explosion" of folks serving food in a much less careful way at greatly elevated prices is not really part of his legacy so much as a unfortunate by-product of the expanded notice that landed on the city due to the glow that radiated off Mr. Trotter personally as well as those that were fortunate to work under his guidance.

The business decisions that Mr. Trotter made over the years largely reflected his personal committment to remain a VERY hands-on proprietor while many others in a similar position choose instead to capitalize on their fame. It is also well known that Trotter could be counted on to not just "donate a free table" for a charity but to dig deep into his own pocket to support good causes he believed, hardly the hallmark of "a jerk".

Like many people of extraordinary drive / creativity Mr. Trotter's personal life often took a back seat to the passions of his vocation -- he has been married three times. Second wife Lynn, though a onetime hostess of the resturant, had an acromonious divorce in 2001-2, his first wife similarly was quoted in a 1997 NYT piece that "Charile loved the resturant not me"...

[Irishtom29]

I didn't know the guy.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The sorts of succes that Mr. Trotter had in his career is all but unheard of, and the "explosion" of folks serving food in a much less careful way at greatly elevated prices is not really part of his legacy so much as a unfortunate by-product of the expanded notice that landed on the city due to the glow that radiated off Mr. Trotter personally as well as those that were fortunate to work under his guidance.

You've heard this before a thousand times, but run-on sentences get in the way of whatever point you're trying to make.

Originally Posted by chet everett

The business decisions that Mr. Trotter made over the years largely reflected his personal committment to remain a VERY hands-on proprietor while many others in a similar position choose instead to capitalize on their fame.

Like many people of extraordinary drive / creativity Mr. Trotter's personal life often took a back seat to the passions of his vocation -- he has been married three times. Second wife Lynn, though a onetime hostess of the resturant, had an acromonious divorce in 2001-2, his first wife similarly was quoted in a 1997 NYT piece that "Charile loved the resturant not me"...

It's unfortunate that guys like Mr Trotter, who are "married" to their one location, never understand the concept of creating a legacy. Gordon Ramsey has created a brand that does not require his presence in any particular restaurant, but you know you will get his standards wherever you go. So when Ramsey drops dead, there will be a chain of restaurants left to his family, and all they really need to do is maintain excellent management and chef talent. Unfortunately for Trotter, he's dead, his one restaurant location is closed, nothing left to his heirs but a sterling reputation. No legacy, no institution.