Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter Review: Deconstructing a Culinary Enigma

Rebecca Halpern’s documentary, “Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter,” invites us into the turbulent world of a culinary figure who irrevocably altered America’s fine dining scene. The film sets out to chart the trajectory of Charlie Trotter, a name once synonymous with avant-garde cuisine and exacting standards.

It’s a biographical piece that quickly signals its intent to explore not just the gleaming surfaces of celebrity chefdom but also the shadows that often accompany singular ambition.

The narrative arc promises a look at a remarkable ascent, followed by the challenging personal and professional undulations of a man who poured his entire being into his work, leaving viewers to ponder the ingredients of a complicated legacy.

Building the Brand: Trotter’s Initial Sizzle

The film diligently lays the groundwork for Trotter’s ascent, sketching his origins as an energetic Illinois youth whose burgeoning interest in food found early, if modest, expression in various restaurant jobs. “Love, Charlie” constructs this early period as one of discovery and burgeoning ambition, leading to the pivotal 1987 launch of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, an enterprise given flight by his father’s financial backing.

The documentary effectively conveys the lightning-strike success of the establishment, positioning it as a venture that didn’t just flourish but also substantially elevated Chicago’s culinary standing internationally. The narrative highlights the innovative zeal that defined this era: the pioneering adoption of tasting menus, a then-radical emphasis on vegetables and dedicated vegetarian courses, the theatrical intimacy of a chef’s table within the kitchen’s bustle, and an almost painterly approach to food presentation, immortalized in influential cookbooks. His method, likened by the film to jazz improvisation, paints a picture of a chef whose creativity was as restless as it was refined.

The Heat in the Kitchen: Perfection’s Price

As “Love, Charlie” delves deeper, it shifts its focus to the crucible of Trotter’s kitchen, portraying an environment of immense pressure, a direct reflection of its proprietor’s formidable will.

The film doesn’t shy from depicting the demanding, sometimes ferocious, standards Trotter imposed, using anecdotes—and the infamous “My Best Friend’s Wedding” cameo footage—to illustrate a personality that could veer into the tyrannical in its quest for flawlessness. This section of the narrative explores the human cost of such relentless drive.

Particularly poignant are the contributions of his first wife, Lisa Ehrlich, whose recollections trace the metamorphosis of the fun-loving “Chuck” she knew into the intensely focused, restaurant-consumed “Charlie.” Her perspective offers a personal lens on the sacrifices made at the altar of his ambition. The documentary presents a man of dualities: a mentor who undeniably shaped a generation of chefs, yet one whose methods could instill fear and foster a revolving door of staff unable to withstand the sustained intensity.

Simmering Down: When the Empire Crumbled

The documentary then navigates the more turbulent waters of Trotter’s later career, chronicling a period where the sheen of invincibility began to tarnish.

The narrative details the strains of restaurant expansions into Vegas and Cabo, ventures that faltered amidst economic headwinds. It addresses the legal skirmishes, notably a class-action lawsuit from employees over wages, an affair that seemingly hardened Trotter’s stance towards perceived disloyalty.

The film touches upon his declining health—an aneurysm, hypertension—and hints at personality shifts that may have been intertwined with these physical ailments. The closure of his flagship Chicago restaurant in 2012, after a quarter-century, is presented as a profound turning point, the film suggesting that the chef felt unmoored without his namesake culinary stage.

His final year is depicted as fraught with unsettling behavior and a sense of displacement, culminating in his death in 2013. While his philanthropic endeavors receive a nod, particularly a James Beard Humanitarian award, this aspect feels somewhat less developed within the film’s broader narrative of decline.

The Documentary as Dish: Assembling “Love, Charlie”

Director Rebecca Halpern constructs “Love, Charlie” using a fairly traditional biographical documentary framework, adhering to a chronological unfurling of Trotter’s life.

The film leans heavily on a rich trove of archival materials—home movies offering glimpses of a pre-fame Trotter, television appearances that track his public persona, and significantly, a collection of his personal letters and postcards, often signed with the titular “Love, Charlie.” These handwritten missives, frequently shared via his first wife, Lisa Ehrlich, lend an intimate, almost spectral voice to Trotter himself, allowing his own words to narrate parts of his journey.

Interviews form the other pillar of the documentary’s structure, with contributions from family, culinary titans like Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse, and notably, former protégé Grant Achatz, whose insights into their complicated mentor-rival dynamic are particularly sharp.

The editing maintains a brisk pace, efficiently moving through the decades of Trotter’s life. Halpern’s approach aims for a balanced portrait, presenting both the brilliance of his culinary contributions and the more abrasive, challenging elements of his character without landing too heavily on outright judgment.

The resulting film offers a reasonably comprehensive look, though the strong emphasis on Ehrlich’s perspective, while valuable, does mean other personal relationships, particularly with his subsequent wives and son, remain largely in the periphery of this particular telling. This focus shapes the viewer’s understanding, centering the narrative on the rise and the bond with his first great champion.

Ultimately, “Love, Charlie” serves as a character study that invites reflection on the often-steep price of singular genius and the intricate, sometimes uncomfortable, relationship between profound professional achievement and personal equilibrium. It lays out the pieces of a complex life, leaving the audience to weigh the man against the myth.

Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter premiered at the 57th Chicago International Film Festival on October 18, 2021, where it won the Best of the Fest Award.

Full Credits

Director: Rebecca Halpern

Writer: Rebecca Halpern

Producers and Executive Producers: Renée Frigo (Producer); Executive Producers: Tony DeLuca, Margie Geddes, Ray Harris, Lisa St. John, Larry Stone, Gordon Sinclair

Cast: Charlie Trotter, Grant Achatz, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Art Smith, Rick Bayless, Carrie Nahabedian, Michelle Gayer, Della Gossett, Rahm Emanuel, Anne Trotter Hinkamp, Dona-Lee Trotter, David LeFevre, Lisa Ehrlich, Mark Caro, Norman Van Aken, Reginald Watkins

Cinematographers: Rod Hassler, Will Basanta, Logan Schneider, Oral User

Editors: Daniel Algarin, Gabriel Britz

Composer: Brian Reitzell