Achatz New Yorker profile prompts local media tussle

Achatz New Yorker profile prompts local media tussle

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grant_achatz1The May 12 issue of The New Yorker features a lengthy profile of Chicago chef Grant Achatz. The article focuses on his rise to international prominence while losing his sense of taste to mouth cancer. As many Chicagoans know, Achatz is doing well now and his sense of taste is slowly returning. But the story raised other issues for Steve Rhodes of the Beachwood Reporter concerning Chicago’s tradition of local boosterism and the underlying ethics of esoteric dining. Meanwhile, Martha Bayne over at The Chicago Reader’s blog The Food Chain took umbrage with Rhodes’ sentiments. It appears Rhodes responded in the comments of Bayne’s post. What do you think, is Chicago’s critical community too quick to praise anything and everything local? Is there a moral problem with fine dining in a world with food riots? Share your thoughts in the comments!