In this Aug. 28, 2012 file photo, award-winning chef Charlie Trotter is seen during an interview with The Associated Press at his restaurant in Chicago. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong, File)
by Don Babwin
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — The wife of Charlie Trotter said doctors discovered the acclaimed chef had an aneurysm months before he died and that he’d been taking medicine to control seizures, his blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Trotter was declared dead Tuesday at a Chicago hospital after paramedics found him unresponsive in his home. An autopsy conducted Wednesday ruled out foul play or trauma, but the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said an exact cause of death could not be determined until toxicology tests and other tests are completed. It could take up to eight weeks.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Rochelle Trotter said the aneurysm was discovered in January and that doctors had prescribed the “proper medication.”
According to a police report obtained by the AP, Trotter’s family said shortly after his death that the chef had flown to Wyoming “against doctor’s advice.”
Rochelle Trotter disputed those suggestions, saying “medical experts” cleared him to travel and that he’d returned Monday night from his most recent trip. She also said “the autopsy indicates the travel is not connected with his death.”
Trotter closed his world-renowned restaurant in 2012, saying he planned to study philosophy. But a friend of his, Larry Stone, has said that Trotter’s health may have played a role in his decision to close the eatery after a quarter-century.
___
AP Food Editor J.M. Hirsch contributed to this report.
In this Nov. 28, 2006 file photo, renowned chef Charlie Trotter talks about his plans to open a new restaurant in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
CHICAGO (AP) — Five things to remember about acclaimed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter, who died Tuesday:
1. HE WASN’T ALWAYS INTERESTED IN FOOD AND DIDN’T GO TO CULINARY SCHOOL
Culinary arts didn’t pique chef Charlie Trotter’s interest until college, when his roommate would prepare different courses for friends. Trotter was self-taught. After he graduated from college Trotter traveled the U.S. and Europe to dine at fine restaurants. His first job was as a cook at the Chicago-area restaurant Sinclair’s, owned by famed chef Gordon Sinclair.
2. TROTTER WAS GROUNDBREAKING
He is credited as being one of the first chefs in the U.S. to prepare and serve all-vegetable tasting menus. He also was on the forefront of using organic food, naturally produced meats and seasonal philosophies of cooking.
3. HE CLOSED HIS RESTAURANT LAST YEAR TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL
Trotter closed his famed Chicago namesake restaurant Charlie Trotter’s last August after 25 years. He said he was going back to college to enroll in a master’s degree program in philosophy.
4. HIS KITCHEN WAS A TRAINING GROUND FOR THE FAMOUS
Dozens of the nation’s top chefs, including Graham Elliott and Grant Achatz, worked under Trotter.
5. HE REALLY LOVED BEING A CHEF
Trotter talked to The Associated Press in August 2012 before he closed his restaurant saying, “I completely love what I do. I pinch myself every day going ‘I make a living doing this. This is unbelievable.’ ” He also said, “The minute I started working in a restaurant formally as a cook or on the road to becoming a chef was like the greatest day of my life.”
About Post Author
