Charlie Trotter
For more than 20 years, Charlie Trotter has dedicated himself to
excellence in the culinary arts and his restaurant has been recognized
by a variety of prestigious national and international institutions
including Relais & Chateaux: Relais Gourmand; Mobil Travel Guide:
Five Stars; AAA: Five Diamonds; Traditions & Qualité, the James
Beard Foundation: Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America and
the Award for Outstanding Wine Service. The restaurant has received the
Grand Award from the Wine Spectator, which recently named Charlie
Trotter’s as the Best Restaurant in the United States.
Beyond his numerous culinary accolades, Chef Trotter has many
philanthropic ties to a vast number of national and international
charities. Most close to his heart is the Charlie Trotter Culinary
Education Foundation. Since its inception in 1999, Chef Trotter hosts
three dinners each week for High School students, as well as
underwriting annual fund raising dinners for the foundation. To date the
foundation has raised over 1,000,000 to award to individuals seeking
careers in the culinary arts.
Chef Trotter has received awards at the White House from both
President Bush and Colin Powell for his work with his Culinary
Foundation and was named one of only five “heroes” to be
honored by Colin Powell’s charity, America’s Promise. In
2005, Chef Trotter was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the
International Association of Culinary Professionals for his overall
service to the community.