Chicago chef Charlie Trotter dies at 54

Video: Trotter remembered as 'Michael Jackson of cuisine'

Chicago --

Award-winning chef Charlie Trotter, a self-taught culinary master whose eponymous Chicago restaurant elevated the city's cuisine and provided a training ground for some of the nation's best chefs, has died at the age of 54.

Rescue crews found Mr. Trotter unresponsive in his home Tuesday morning and transported him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died after unsuccessful attempts to revive him. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.

Mr. Trotter's name is synonymous with gourmet cuisine. He earned 10 James Beard Awards and two stars from the Michelin Guide.

"Charlie was a visionary who influenced the rapid evolution of restaurants and cuisine in America," Thomas Keller, chef-owner of the French Laundry in Yountville, wrote in an e-mail. "We have lost a great chef, mentor and friend."

Mr. Trotter was one of the first chefs to offer multicourse tasting menus, to emphasize food and wine pairing and the concept of "cooking in the moment," said Michael Rotondo, executive chef of Parallel 37 in the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, who was Mr. Trotter's executive chef until last year.

"If a guest came in and wanted an all-fish menu or a red-wine menu or even a vegan menu, we would do it," Rotondo said.

In keeping with his reputation for bold, unexpected moves, Mr. Trotter closed his 120-seat Chicago restaurant in 2012, saying he planned to go back to college to study philosophy.

Chef Charlie Trotter, 54, earned 10 James Beard Awards and was known for his attention to detail. Chef Charlie Trotter, 54, earned 10 James Beard Awards and was known for his attention to detail. Photo: M. Spencer Green, Associated Press Photo: M. Spencer Green, Associated Press Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Chicago chef Charlie Trotter dies at 54 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Mr. Trotter, who never went to cooking school, wrote more than a dozen cookbooks and starred in a PBS series, "The Kitchen Sessions With Charlie Trotter." He credited the development of his signature style to his travels in the U.S. and Europe after college and dining at the best restaurants.

He was famous for his reverence for details, and he insisted his staff also be sticklers for exactness.

"The learning curve was so high in that restaurant, from everyone from the maitre d' to the dishwasher to the accountant," Rotondo said. "He expected so much of you - and of himself."

Rotondo also noted what he called Mr. Trotter's exceptional generosity toward the community. He related how Mr. Trotter would regularly bring Chicago-area high school students, many at risk, into the restaurant to help instill a drive for excellence.

"We would serve them the exact same food we served guests, and with every course, someone on staff would talk about it and what it takes to achieve that high level," Rotondo said. "He did that for 20 years, twice a week, in one of the hardest kitchens and busiest restaurants in the country."

Since closing his restaurant, Mr. Trotter had run into legal troubles.

This summer, he was sued by two New York wine collectors who say he sold them a bottle of wine for more than $46,000 that wasn't what it said on the label.

Mr. Trotter had degrees from the University of Wisconsin in political theory and philosophy.

"It's learning for learning's sake," Mr. Trotter said last year in laying out his plans for further study in philosophy. "Reading some of the great books that are unread still. Only studying for studying's sake. It's sort of a lost thing."

Mr. Trotter said he was "looking for a second act, in a sense."

"You've got to follow your instincts," he said.

Mr. Trotter's wife, Rochelle, who survives him, released a statement saying a memorial service is pending.