Charlie Trotter Food Quotations

Cuisine is only about making foods taste the way they are supposed to taste.

A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that's when cuisine is truly exciting.

I have a certain point of view, a certain way to plate food, certain ingredients that I like to use.

The body cannot produce enzymes in perfect combinations to metabolize your foods as completely as the food enzymes created by nature do. This results in partially digested fats, proteins, and starches that can clog your body's intestinal tract and arteries.

I have always considered desserts to be of equal importance to the savory food.

The most successful food, I think, is food that both appeals to the super-sophisticated diner or foodie and to the lay diner at the same time.

In my case, vertical food was less about standing things up than layering things: more an attempt to gain texture by weaving things together.

For over 20 years, I have been saying that Chicago is by far one of the greatest food cities in the world.

In a time when it is common for chefs to simply reproduce the innovations of others, the few who speak for themselves through their food become the skilled artists of their time.

Ultimately, I want to prepare food that will be recognized equally in Tokyo, London, and Paris. I am after that universality, that transcendence.