Obituaries

Chef Charlie Trotter Found Dead at Home

Trotter closed his Lincoln Park restaurant last year after 25 years. He was a pioneer and fixture in the Chicago gourmet food scene.

Famed Chef Charlie Trotter, 54, whose eponymous restaurant in Lincoln Park was a fixture of the Chicago gourmet restaurant scene for 25 years, was found dead in his home on Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

The Tribune says the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death. The article states that Trotter's son found him unresponsive in their home in the 1800 block of North Dayton.

The restaurant's Facebook page was filling up with condolences Tuesday afternoon as news spread. 

One post reads: "I worked in Charlie's kitchen...I am better for having done it...I am sorry..RIP Chef..."

Charlie Trotter's was a pioneer in fine dining in Chicago and the restaurant won many awards and accolades. According to the restaurant website, it won 11 James Beard Foundation awards, including 'Outstanding Restaurant' in 2000 and 'Outstanding Chef' in 1999. Trotter himself won 'Humanitarian of The Year" award in 2012. The restaurant closed last year.


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