SheeFood

Charlie Trotter, We Will Not Forget You

Like everyone else, I was stunned, and am still stunned, to learn of Charlie Trotter's passing. It reminds me of the day Michael Jackson died. An icon was gone way too soon. Everyone who knew Charlie considered him a friend.

I wrote a tribute to Charlie in this blog on March 4, 2012, before he closed the doors of his restaurant. Here I am re-running that post.  

I first heard of this Zeus-like figure at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference 10 years ago after I had just become editor of Produce Concepts magazine. I didn’t know of him before that IACP workshop session, but it was clear that those around me weren’t just listening to him, they were absorbing him. If he would have advised that all tablecloths should be orange and next to every plate should be a pitch fork, there would have been unquestioning agreement, and so it would have been. I think the session topic was how to achieve greatness, and his stand-out to me was “be humble and serve well.”

The next time I saw him was at the 2003 grand opening of the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio, founded by The Chef’s Garden. Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein were the stars at the festive event. The two had just co-authored “Raw” cookbook. Raw foods was a concept that was on the cusp of hot trend, maybe because Charlie was in on it. In my mind, Roxanne upstaged him at the event when it was made known that as she and her family stepped off the airplane, servers greeted them with raw food so they wouldn’t have to consume normal people food. I thought that was hilarious.

But the time and the topic were right in 2003. I decided to make raw food the cover story for one of my magazine issues with Charlie and Roxanne on the cover and the main sources for the article. Roxanne’s PR go-between person asked for some back issues of the magazine before agreeing to cooperate. Horrors, she read an article in which I had outlined some of the benefits of genetically modified (GMO) fruits and vegetables. Roxanne had a little activist outburst. No way would she have anything to do with a magazine that had something good to say about GMOs. She refused any involvement, and by association, so did Charlie.

But my final encounter with Charlie put me back in balance. I took a magazine-related trip to Chicago and contacted his PR person who insisted on treating me to lunch at Charlie Trotter's seated at “the chef’s table” in the kitchen with a few other guests. Awesome. The kitchen workers were respectful, professional and provided impeccable service. The dainty dishes were delicious for sure. Charlie stopped by to chat with us and was very endearing and humble. This last encounter was the perfect experience of all that was Charlie Trotter.  

I wish him the very best as he closes his doors in August after 25 years. I’m sure he will be tremendous at whatever is next on his plate.

Final Note: His plate was emptied way too soon. RIP Charlie Trotter.

Jody

Wild About Honey

I feel like I just received a college education in honey. Last week I attended the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) conference in Portland, Ore., and at one learning station, we tasted honey. While there are more than 300 varieties of honey, we honed in on five, imagining what they work well in. I’ll share my notes and observations with you. Pretend you are sitting at the table with me—and the pictured display is in front of you. I should tell you that our teacher is Marie Simmons, who wrote the book “Taste of Honey: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Cooking with 40 Varietals” just released in June.

1. Orange blossom honey: It’s pretty generic, with a fruity flavor if you close your eyes and imagine. It’s a common table honey and works well on ice cream, in cheese cake and especially as the variety to use in marinades, salad dressings and poultry glazes. Imagine it with vanilla in anything baked. You can’t imagine? I can. Trust me.

2. Clover honey: Is there any type more plentiful than clover honey? It’s a major crop yielding a sweet, mild honey. Since it’s probably the most versatile and widely available type, let’s not go any deeper into that one.

3. Wildflower honey: “Wildflower” is code for “these bees have been all over the neighborhood. We don’t know what all they ate.” It probably varies the most in color and flavor, and it’s also versatile in its uses, but for our workshop, Marie gushed about the use of this particular variety drizzled in a parfait and paired with pineapple and/or oranges. I wasn’t going to argue. I was just getting the hang of discerning the different flavors. I glanced down at the next cup of honey.

4. Buckwheat honey: Oh my gosh, look how dark it is? Just think “molasses” and you have the flavor of buckwheat honey. That, my friends, is not a table honey. It goes in “hearty baked goods,” and is probably the best suited for barbecue sauces, if you want to add sweetness. It’s fall right now—the most appropriate time for a flavor like this when combined with squash, pumpkin muffins or spice cake. The stout flavor would keep up with blue cheese.

5. This is “mystery varietal.” That is, we had to taste it and decide what kind it was. Someone guessed it. Blackberry honey. I was less discerning and didn’t get that same impression. I don’t think it’s that common, and the flavor isn’t that different than the others.

If you are at all intrigued, here’s a link to Marie’s book: http://amzn.to/19yOcdl. Also, for you connoisseurs, visit www.honeylocator.com and click on the flower source you’re interested in, and the site will let you know what suppliers carry that kind of honey. It’s a great website.