Charles "Charlie" Trotter (September 8, 1959 – November 5, 2013) was an American chef and restauranteur. His most well-known restaurant, Charlie Trotter's, was open in Chicago from 1987 to 2012.
I love faltering. I love, in a sense, coming up short. Because you learn nothing from success. You learn so much from failing.
What I was reading was already part of my psyche, but finally someone else was saying it's okay to walk alone.
Excellence is about fighting and pursuing something diligently, with a strict and determined approach to doing it right. It's okay if there are flaws in the process - it makes it more interesting.
You have to be critical of what you do every day, to analyze it and be willing to push it further.
The art of cooking is among the most intimate things that we can do for another.
I never considered Miles Davis a perfectionist; I always considered him as an excellence-ist, where deviation is actually kind of cool.
Cuisine is only about making foods taste the way they are supposed to taste.
Fernand Point's philosophy instilled what cuisine is all about: generosity and hugeness of heart.
I couldnt really relate to the fraternity or party scene, to the people out in the mall every day protesting one thing or another. I felt like there was no one I could relate to.
My parents couldnt be looser. It was the ultimate laissez faire upbringing.
Always make stock in a large quantity and freeze it in plastic bags. That way, when you want to make a nice soup or boil veggies, you can simply pull the bag out of the freezer.
One must know combinations, one must have a true knowledge of food to be in the moment.
Chefs, as a whole, say yes to any project, fundraiser, or tasting because they have such a generous spirit.
A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that's when cuisine is truly exciting.