mcaro

Here was the sequence: Charlie Trotter spoke to Phil Vettel, and Phil took notes on the conversation and passed them along to me. I spoke to Charlie briefly, confirmed what his position was and made arrangements to interview him more at length the next day. I talked to Grant Achatz and Rick Tramonto about their policies regarding foie gras. Grant said he'll continue to serve it but respected Charlie's decision. Rick was more critical. I talked to Charlie again, and he laid out his position in more detail and offered his much-repeated opinion about Rick. I talked to just about everyone else in the story, including the other chefs listed and some who got cut out of the story, and then went back to Charlie again. No one was being ambushed here, and the conflicts weren't due to misunderstandings; they stemmed from genuine disagreements. I'd assume you'd say the same of people arguing on this long string. That list of sources includes a decent number of people outside of Chicago and a fair mix of people who are pro- and anti-foie gras. I called a couple of chefs in California for comment, but they didn't call back. The story is weighted toward Chicago people because, guess what? It was for the Chicago Tribune. It would've been fab to include all of those other people and facets suggested by FaustianBargain, but the story was incredibly long as it was, and I thought I'd have to whack a lot more to get it in. Do you have any idea how unusual it is for a daily general-audience newspaper to run a 60-inch foie gras story on the front page? The bulk of the readership probably has never tasted or even heard of foie gras. The trick is to try to be as comprehensive as possible while also making the story understandable for people who aren't eGullet regulars. As for Grant's comment about Whole Foods, the point simply was that foie gras isn't something you run down and grab at the grocery store. He'd also made the point, which got trimmed, that now you can get caviar, seafood and game more easily than foie gras. Again, this was just a way of explaining for readers what foie gras is and what role it plays at high-end restaurants. The purchasing policies of Whole Foods was pretty much beside the point. M.

Aw, heck. I'll chime in here since I'm the reporter who started this ball rolling. (Thanks for the supportive words, Bux.) Here are some quick answers to questions raised somewhere along this string: 1. Why an entertainment reporter? Well, that's my official title, but I write about a lot of subjects. This week I had in stories on foie gras, the Final Four and Ted Koppel. The foie gras story was by far the most interesting. I also used to be one of the Trib's movie critics. You have to wear a lot of hats and have a lot of curiosity in this biz. For what it's worth, last summer I wrote a long feature story on Grant Achatz's last night at Trio, so this wasn't my first adventure in the foodie world. 2. How did Charlie Trotter let the Trib know about his personal foie gras ban? He mentioned it during a conversation with the Tribune's restaurant critic, Phil Vettel. Phil graciously passed the info along to me because he knew I'd be interested. I called Charlie Trotter, who answered my questions. The chef never sent out a press release or anything. 3. Did Charlie Trotter really say those things about Rick Tramonto or was the whole controversy cobbled together in some unorthodox way? It all happened over the course of basic, straightforward reporting. I set up a time to talk to Charlie Trotter on the phone and called a couple of chefs in the meantime. When I interviewed Trotter the first time (there were follow-up conversations), I told him what Rick Tramonto had said, and Trotter made the comments as reported. He knew I was tape-recording the conversation and was aware that I would quote him. Before the story ran, I called back Tramonto to give him a chance to respond to Trotter's harsh words, which he did by saying, "My only comment is Charlie's in my prayers." 4. Did I have an agenda in writing the piece? Really, I don't think so. I personally found the subject fascinating because I think foie gras is delicious but I also don't eat certain foods where I suspect the animals are being treated inhumanely. I wanted to represent both sides as coherently as possible to clarify the issues for readers--and myself--so we could all draw our own conclusions. I hope that helps. Mark Caro Chicago Tribune entertainment reporter