Clark Wolf's Rants, Raves, Diatribes...and a few other Thoughts

CULINARY GIANTS: James A. Beard

Writer, cookbook author, teacher and consultant, James A. Beard freed the United States from its dependence on European forms of cooking, especially French. From 1940 until his death at 81 in 1985, in more than 20 cookbooks, countless newspaper and magazine articles, and in his teaching, he extolled the delicious virtues of American foods and dishes, inspiring generations of cooks, writers, restaurateurs, purveyors and chefs to explore the nation's bounty — and their own creativity.

Beard initiated and then presided over a postwar cultural revolution that changed how we cook, eat and think about food. To his close friend, cookbook author Barbara Kafka, it was that pioneering first-ness for which Beard will be remembered and honored.

"Jim was writing about American food when no one was writing about American food," she said in a telephone interview from New York. And though Beard was not alone in championing American cuisine, he was pivotal.

Beard's food philosophy remains relevant today, said Clark Wolf, the restaurant industry consultant and author.

"Eat locally, seasonally, and if you are to use good food well, use it in the thriftiest way possible," Clark said. "His viewpoint is what we're finally working our way back around to."

Even in death, Beard continues to influence the American food scene, through his books, through his teaching, through his papers and through the scores of people he taught and inspired.

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So long, Charlie

If you aren’t interested in gastronomy, you probably haven’t heard of Charlie Trotter. If you are, you know that Trotter exploded onto the dining scene 25 years ago. His Chicago restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s, soon became one of the top – many said the top – dining destinations in America, known for groundbreaking cuisine as well as Chef Trotter’s driven, obsessive personality. And if you’re a chef or other food professional who’s had any association with Trotter, you’re sure to have opinions about him ranging anywhere from love to loathing.

Almost entirely self-taught, Trotter was just 27 when he opened his eponymous restaurant. After finishing a political science degree, Trotter traveled throughout Europe, dining only in fine restaurants. Returning to Chicago, he worked in a now-defunct restaurant for just a year before opening Charlie Trotter’s.

Then there was the foie gras flap. In 2002 Trotter quit serving foie gras for humanitarian reasons and was influential in the Chicago City Council briefly banning it in 2006. But the city’s move – and Trotter’s role in it – was controversial. “I’ll listen to what he says about bird care when I hear he’s nicer to his line cooks,” said radio food commentator Clark Wolf. And Trotter was less than humane in published comments about chefs who disagreed with him, especially the slightly hefty Rick Tramonto whose restaurant, Tru, was ranked as highly as Trotter’s: “Tramonto’s not the smartest guy on the block….We ought to have Rick’s liver for a little treat. It’s certainly fat enough.”

Full article here