May 7, 2008
All Attention on Achatz
What's with the sudden level of attention on Grant Achatz? Chicago Magazine has a couple new pieces out about the Alinea superchef (and Chicagoist Grills interviewee), Men's Vogue has a piece, and the New Yorker has a gargantuan profile about Achatz. Is it because of the Alinea Cookbook coming out in the fall? No, it's because more and more of the national press are picking up the story about Achatz looking tongue cancer in the eye and kicking its fucking ass.
Many Chicagoans and foodies world-wide have been following this story since it started, including the news from a couple months ago that the disease was in remission, but the Tale of the Growing Tongue Cancer is just crossing the radar of a lot of people. Which is not to say that it's not worth reading for us locals - if you have 20 minutes to kill today at work, check out the above stories and be prepared to whisper a "holy shit" or two. From Jennifer Tanaka's "Burned:"
During his hours-long chemotherapy sessions at the U. of C. hospital, he tapped away on his laptop, e-mailing and working on the text of his cookbook-in-progress. He went straight from the hospital to the restaurant throughout his chemotherapy and all but the final week of his radiation treatment, often closing up the place well past midnight. He also insisted on driving himself to and from his appointments, occasionally needing to pull over on Lake Shore Drive to vomit.Hardcore. It's been said before, but we'll say it again - stay healthy, Chef.
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Shotgun blast to the abdomen only angers Grant Achatz.
Grant Achatz blows his birthday candles out by blinking.
Grant Achatz stands about 8'20" and weighs a solid 700 lbs. He can lift car over his head and tear it in half.
One of us would be well advised to register grantachatzfacts.com quickly.
I hate to rain on the parade, but he hasn't quite kicked the cancer's ass yet. He's still got about five years before he's considered cured and cancer-free. Sure hope he is.
Did I ever tell you about the time Grant took me out to go get a drink with him? We go off looking for a bar and we can't find one. Finally Achatz takes me to a vacant lot and says, 'Here we are.' We sat there for a year and a half and sure enough someone constructs a bar around us. The day they opened we ordered a shot, drank it, and then burned the place to the ground. Grant yelled over the roar of the flames, 'Always leave things the way you found em!
@Karl:
I'm going to make an entry on http://tgimcfunsters.com about it and credit your post here instead. This feels like a weekly feature.
i recently had the tour at alinea (oh wait, have i mentioned that before?) and i talked to a waitstaffperson who revealed that grant actually missed like two and half weeks of service in the midst of the mess.
even if that is true? the man is still king shit of badass mountain, and i sweat him.
i love you grant. stay michigan.