Charlie Trotter’s courage and his ability to create lofty culinary and service standards have paved an inspirational path for not only chefs, but also for innumerable poor Chicago children whose lives he also changed.

The news that he is closing his restaurant comes as a huge surprise to many who have long admired his vision. He was a pioneer years before the eruption of the current crop of avant garders and creative thinkers. He was a prophet who arrived in a culinary desert a tick before his time. Even so, he surely must be tucking a little smile into his top pocket as he surveys his extraordinary accomplishments as a leader in the evolving American food revolution.

If I had to record the three best meals I have had, one would be Charlie’s salmon luncheon.

He prepared the meal for the food press. The Norwegian Salmon Fishing Trade Association sponsored it.

I think it was probably the first time any of us had experienced what became known as a tasting menu; tiny course followed tiny course like principal dancers performing solo or in duets in an exquisitely choreographed ballet. Miniscule renditions of salmon appeared in fourteen glamorous poses. We gasped with delight as each model morsel strutted forth from the kitchen runway to pirouette onto our plate.

What a triumph it was.

Without a doubt Charlie Trotter’s next incarnation will be just as dazzling.

Bon voyage, Charlie as you complete your Master’s Degree in philosophy and political theory. The teacher becomes the student in preparation for the eagerly anticipated next class act.

Photo Courtesy of VegNews.com

Today vegetarianism is no longer simply a passing phase for the famous. It is becoming ever more mainstream. Millions of Americans have adopted this diet, and the converts are growing every day.

Even those who still enjoy meat are giving vegetarians greater respect, although we still find it difficult to imagine that a superstar athlete or a Commander in Chief would, or could, get to the top on a diet of beans and rice. T. Colin Campbell, professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, says it well:

“It’s my guess that there’s hardly another myth in nutrition so insidious yet so intractable as that which encourages us to believe that consuming lots of high-quality protein — basically the stuff of animal-based foods — makes for fitness, bigness, and strength of body. Rooted in antiquity, this myth began to sprout in the minds of men (especially men, it seems) long before protein was identified and named.”

The myth took root in the belief that we could get our strength, our agility, and our ability to soar to unimaginable heights only if we consumed the flesh and bodies of animals.

Much later, in the early 19th century, when scientists identified protein as being more or less equivalent to the flesh of animals they worshiped, it was heralded as the treasured nutrient. In the words of famous chemist Justus von Liebig, it was none other than the very “stuff of life itself.”

A remarkable shift in perception is occurring.

Choosing a vegetarian diet is now equated with having respect for one’s own health and the health of the planet. Those who can afford to buy the best organically grown produce are building a wide range of new vegetarian meals and taking a fresh look at classic meatless dishes from around the world.

Innovative vegetarian dishes are appearing with increasing frequency on restaurant menus. Offered as a summer garden of colorful vegetables and fresh pasta in a bowl drizzled with fruity olive oil, a generous spoonful of Parmesan, and a handshake of freshly ground black pepper, which of us would feel deprived?

In Western industrialized countries, there are more vegetarians than ever before — yet in a parallel shift there are more hamburgers eaten than ever before. It’s also interesting to note that Eskimos, who eat a traditional diet consisting almost entirely of meat, have a very similar life expectancy to that of Indian Hindus who are strict vegetarians.

Go figure.

Jobs for Vegetarians

• Become A Produce Buyer for Restaurants: Buy a truck. Pick up the produce from a group of farmers and sell it to restaurants and retail markets.
• Start a Store: Sell vegetarian specialties.
• Write About It: Find a sponsor to finance a free newsletter to be given away at farmer’s markets, specialty food stores and grocery shops. Include seasonal recipes. Look to Vegetarian Times and terrific Mollie Kazen for inspiration.
• Teach It: Launch a vegetarian cooking class, even bigger, launch a vegetarian cooking school.
• Be Passionate About It: Look to VegNews.com as a start in your search.

Chefs As Humanitarians

As chefs achieve levels of celebrity, they very often feel the need to give back to the community that supports them. This is a natural impulse for men and women who work in a field that, by definition, offers sustenance so it’s no surprise that chefs are very generous people.

It’s in the Stars

Cosmologists know that when a bright star explodes, it scatters seeds that give birth to new universes. That is the vision behind Share Our Strength, the hunger relief and anti-poverty organization founded by Bill Shore in 1987. This humanitarian organization has become one of the largest in the United States but, says Shore, “Size and rate of growth are not the point. Impact is. And the reason for that impact is the new way we’ve engaged people; not by asking them for money, but by asking them to contribute of themselves, through their skills, talents and passionate interests, thereby connecting them to their communities in ways money never could.”

Share Our Strength (SOS) is about sharing strength. It helps culinary communities organize fundraisers in their city or region. So far more than more than $65 million has been raised and distributed to 450 groups that work to end hunger and poverty by helping people in need. SOS has inspired hundreds of humanitarians who have become leaders in their own communities in the fight against hunger and poverty. Chefs continue to be deeply committed to sharing their personal skills by participating in a series of food and wine tastings, and seated dinners and brunches that take place annually across North America.

Share Our Strength is hiring now. Check the web site: www.strength.org.

Tufts University Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition Policy, provides evidence from recent research about child nutrition. It reports: “In addition to having a detrimental effect on the cognitive development of children, under nutrition results in lost knowledge, brainpower, and productivity for the nation.” There are opportunities to provide healthy food for children at all levels of their education.

Chefs (many with famous names,) join together to raise funds for humanitarian purposes. You can also consider UNICEF, The World Bank, International Red Cross and of course food banks everywhere.

Iron Chef Cat Cora and Bobby Flay co-founded Chefs For Humanity: “a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals whose objective is to raise money for hunger relief.

See too:

Children’s Defense Fund – www.childrensdefensefund.org

Bread for the World www.bread.org

Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition, Tufts University

God’s Love We Deliver – www.godsloverwedeliver.org

Meals on Wheels – www.mealsonwheels.com

Second Harvest National Food Bank Network – www.secondharvest.org

UNICEF, Oxfam, The Peace Corp and The World Bank are among the many international relief agencies that welcome job applications from food people.