Charlie Trotter's Vegetables

Through his virtuosic combination of classical technique, local ingredients, and restless imagination, Charlie Trotter helped put Chicago on the global culinary map in the late 1980s. Though some of his plating looks a bit dated — and his notoriously tyrannical management style aged even less well — there’s no denying his talent shined brightest when he worked with vegetables. He treated them with reverence, care, and refinement, elevating them to starring roles and transforming American fine dining.