Video: Charlie Trotter talks borrowing chickens from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, being voted ‘meanest’ in Chicago and more

Video: Charlie Trotter talks borrowing chickens from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, being voted ‘meanest’ in Chicago and more
Courtesy of Mark Bazer
Video: Charlie Trotter talks borrowing chickens from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, being voted ‘meanest’ in Chicago and more
Courtesy of Mark Bazer

Video: Charlie Trotter talks borrowing chickens from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, being voted ‘meanest’ in Chicago and more

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I don’t know that I’ve enjoyed an interview more than the one I did with Charlie Trotter.

I booked him for the show … nervously. Don’t get me wrong; I was ectastic to have Trotter as a guest. But I’d heard he doesn’t suffer fools gladly — and, knowing my knowledge of fine dining is, well, limited, I worried I’d quickly become one of those fools. 

But Trotter was funny and entertaining and generous, and the interview is one I always point to when people ask me about The Interview Show. With Trotter’s announcement that he’s closing his signature restaurant, here’s the interview. I hope some of the stories he tells in it are new to you.

PART ONE

PART TWO

The next Interview Show is this Friday, Jan. 6, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Guests include novelist John Green (Looking for AlaskaThe Fault in Our Stars), Fake Shore Drive founder and editor Andrew Barber, actor Marc Grapey (Race at the Goodman), jazz-DJ group Seeking Wonderland and Gaztro-Wagon. More info here.