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Bursting onto the Chicago fine-dining scene in 1987, Charlie Trotter's restaurant soon became a local icon and eventually a national landmark. From his initial rise to culinary stardom to the 2012 announcement that his eponymous restaurant would be closing its doors, Charlie Trotter has been one of Chicago's most distinguished and high-profile chefs.

Trotter, more than any of his peers, ushered in a new type of dining experience--the "New American" gourmet cuisine that has proliferated across the country--by never offering the same menu twice, and creating multi-course meals from scratch each day using boutique ingredients, including a rare all-vegetable degustation.

From the moment Trotter began garnering national attention, though, controversy seemed to follow, such as challenges to his innovative "chef's table" by city health inspectors, and ire from his fellow chefs after he deemed foie gras too inhumane to serve and the Chicago City Council followed suit, banning the delicacy city-wide.

Drawn from 25 years of Chicago Tribune articles, profiles, and reviews, Charlie Trotter offers a fast-paced account of the restaurant that put Chicago at the center of the American culinary world. Employing both the fine-tooth comb of local journalism and the acerbic wit of high-stakes restaurant criticism, Charlie Trotter gives readers an intimate portrayal of the lightning-rod figure who for years was synonymous with Chicago fine dining, revealing the inner workings of both the man and his landmark restaurant.

For more information and for links to Kindle, Nook, and iStore downloads, please visit charlietrotterbook.com.