Results tagged “chicagoistgrills”

Last week, we took an in-depth look into L2O, with an opportunity to get Stolpman into the kitchen to photograph some of Laurent Gras' menu dishes and the preparation of them, while Jacy explained some of the design aesthetics of the restaurant (located in the space formerly occupied by Ambria).

Alinea Chef/Owner Grant Achatz

Author Michael Ruhlman

We always thought the making of a chef started in a kitchen, and progressed from there. Anyway, as part of their "Traffic Jam" series, Steppenwolf Theatre is hosting a discussion this Sunday between Alinea owner/chef Grant Achatz and author Michael Ruhlman. The discussion, called "The Making of a Chef," will cover the "hypermodern" culinary movement of which Achatz is largely considered the herald, the place of the "celebrity" chef in America, and what defines excellence in an industry as increasingly PR-driven as the five-star dining concept. It should be an interesting conversation between two intelligent and passionate men; although Ruhlman's a skeptic of the science food movement, he sings the praises of Achatz. It seems to be a running theme among critics who regard molecular gastronomy as smoke and mirrors, but allow that Achatz is the exception to the rule.

Executive Chef Bob Zrenner, Graze

Doug Zell, CEO, Intelligentsia

Greg Hall, Brewmaster, Goose Island Beer Company

One need not be a foodie to know who are the big dogs on the Chicago culinary scene: Achatz, Trotter, Tramanto, Bayless, Kahan, Pluton, and on and on and on. They're talented, gifted, and their impact on the way the we all eat is immeasurable. These chefs, quite simply, are as important as any artist who calls Chicago home.