Grant Achatz Gets his Three Stars

I read this article (posted below) with interest, having interviewed Grant Achatz a couple of times. He truly is one of our most inspired, gifted chefs. Check out one of my articles on him: http://www.culinologyonline.com/articles/grant-achatz--culinary-storyteller.html


Posted by Chris Borrelli, Chicago Times

Here's what happened when Grant Achatz discovered he was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide: He was driving his BMW at 9:20 a.m. and wearing tan Ray Ban sunglasses and saying something about how the desire to be rewarded with three Michelin stars was, of course, partly about ego — he was saying this when the call from Michelin came, with almost comically perfect timing. The phone rang once then stopped then Achatz picked up his iPhone and looked at the number. "It can't be from a 312 area code, could it?"

Then he put the phone down. A moment later it rang, and it was Jean-Luc Naret, the director of the Michelin Guide. Achatz listened and smiled and stared ahead and spoke calmly: "I'm... Oh, my God... that's amazing... it means a lot... thank you... that's incredible... it's an incredible day, Jean-Luc... Thank you." He was not surprised but he was happy. He continued driving and seemed to wipe something from his left eye. Asked later if it was a tear, he said, "No, it was not." He smirked a bit.

We drove a while and the text messages to his phone left it buzzing for several minutes.

He spoke about when he still worked for Charlie Trotter and how Trotter once came into the kitchen and told the staff about a three-star meal he had just eaten in Switzerland and how the restaurant Charlie Trotter's needed to be that good and that greatness was always their intent. Achatz noted the irony that one of his teachers now had one less star than he had, then he said, "I genuinely feel bad about that."

"To me it's a life long dream. I grew up in this business listening to Thomas (Keller) and Charlie (Trotter) wax poetic about the greatness of three star restaurants in the world. And it was like, man, if these people, my mentors, hold it that dear, it becomes your goal as a chef. That said, I was worried.

"But you build a body these things, of accolades, and it validates your position," he said. "It just does."