Raw Food: When the first raw restaurant opened in New York in 1999, raw food seemed like a really weird and experimental thing. But Trotter was already on board, and he published a cookbook, Raw, in 2003. By the time The Times was writing trend pieces about raw food finding its way into high-end resorts in 2006, Trotter and his restaurant's optional raw menu were considered among the movement's stalwarts. "For us, raw food is here to stay. It's part of our repertoire at this point. It's not that we just dabbled in it," he told The Times. A 2003 CBS preview of the book included recipes for "Bleeding Heart Radish Ravioli With Yellow Tomato Sauce" and "Portabello Mushroom Pave' With White Asparagus Vinaigrette," which it described: "The meatiness of the marinated portabellos is enormously satisfying, but the aromatic flavor of jalapeno, garlic, ginger, cilantro and soy are what pushes this creation over the top. The creamy white asparagus contributes richness and acts as the perfect cohesive element."

Offal: Many Chicagoans were not amused at The Times headline to its Trotter farewell: "Chicago Losing a Chef Who Refined Its Stockyards Palate." Quipped public radio game show host Peter Sagal: "Sure. Before Charlie Trotter all we Chicagoans ate was offal and boiled hooves." But actually, offal is hot stuff these days. Chefs like San Francisco's Chris Cosentino have been making the stuff trendy over the last five years or so. But Trotter has been an offal fan for years, and has proved his mastery of the insides through his haggis recipes, which he's apparently been perfecting for decades. He won a Distinguished Citizen Award at Chicago's 166th annual Feast of the Haggis in September, where, according to the Tribune, "Trotter gave the organizers his recipe that has a little bit of an Asian bent to it. 'It’s a little bit lighter. It’s got ginger and lemongrass and things that cut into the richness of it. From my standpoint, the only wine that can possibly stand up to it is a huge syrah that can just cut into the richess and the pungency of the flavors. Otherwise it’s going to blow away any other thing.' "

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