Esteemed chef Charlie Trotter was the reason many people travelled to Chicago. Purely self-taught, his passion for cooking was so strong that he opened his eponymous restaurant in the city at the tender age of 28.
His personal, modern interpretation of cuisine - one that increasingly blends Asian elements - set the bar for creative fine dining in America, paving the way for many of today's best restaurants and chefs. Indeed he was responsible for training and launching the careers of many great names such as Grant Achatz, Graham Elliott and Homaro Cantu.
In 2012 he no doubt planned to enjoy life at a slightly slower pace, after closing the doors on the restaurant that made him so famous. But sadly that was not to be, as yesterday Mr Trotter died at his home in the Lincoln Park neighbourhood of Chicago.
Charlie Trotter
September 8, 1959 – November 5, 2013