Documentary - Grace (about chef Curtis Duffy)

[Deryn]

I just watched this documentary on Netflix and then read up a bit more about Curtis Duffy here (Story about Curtis Duffy of Grace Restaurant, Chicago). Talk about a tragic lifestory which produced what looks to be a great chef (who I had really only heard of in passing before to be honest). The whole thing left me with a lot of mixed emotions but also drooling at the food he manages to produce from his 3 star restaurant in Chicago. His childhood was turbulent to say the least - his parents died by murder/suicide when he was still a teenager. The person who became his safe place to be, a pseudo-mother for him, over the years was his middle school home economics teacher. He worked his way up via Charlie Trotter's and Alinea before branching out on his own. I found his story compelling to say the least - and a great glimpse into the restaurant industry (at the highest levels) as a whole.

 

Has anyone else seen this film and/or eaten at Grace? Would love to hear what you think (of either or both). If you haven't seen it, I recommend it for foodies, and especially those interested in opening restaurants some day.

 

 

[gfron1]

I enjoyed it too. The lingering thought I had was how he bad-mouthed his previous bosses. Even if completely objectively true...just not good policy. It also scared the crap out of me watching the delays with construction since I'm about to go down that road. I also commiserated on those thousand dollar chairs. The ones I'm looking at are exactly that.

[Alex]

Deryn, you might want to check out this topic on LTH Forum. For some odd reason, the last post is from December, 2014, but you'll still get a good idea what the place is like.

[Deryn]

gfron1 - I agree - that made me wince too. I much preferred when Grant talked about him and mentorship, etc. and was nice enough to say that if the apprentice doesn't eventually surpass the mentor then the mentor has not done a good job - and that he would be happy if Curtis did better than he has himself. As to the Trotter thing though, I am not sure Curtis was too much to blame for the lawsuits. Oh well .. there is always bad blood somewhere as people climb up their professional ladders I suppose but one needs to be somewhat careful about biting the hand that fed you (even if it was only gruel). I did think he was very appreciative of his own staff though - and that was clear. There is probably a lot more to the story than I know about so I cannot really judge.

 

But, all through the whole documentary (at least where the work was going on for the restaurant, etc.) my thoughts ran to you and I did wonder how similar you might find the task yourself. From my point of view, the whole process sounds both exhilarating and scary as heck - especially when one doesn't already have all the coin in one's own pocket and is beholden to banks and 'shareholders/partners'. Stressful I am sure.

 

Thanks for the link, Alex. I had to check myself that the restaurant still appears to have 3 stars before I posted initially because the documentary refers back a couple of years too. It seems to stop there and I am not sure when it was actually made. It only showed up on Netflix in a place where I noticed it today. I hadn't heard of Grace before either - but that is not unusual since I am stuck in the boonies and don't get out to grand dinners often these days - so I checked to see if anyone else had posted here so I could add my thoughts there but didn't see anything prior. I think his food looks like what I would enjoy - it is interesting and looks delicious but not over the top modernist - very approachable.

 

If I could bring myself to go near Chicago again, I think I would book a table and go to Grace - I was impressed. But, unfortunately, like St. Louis, Chicago is a place I will avoid if I can. A bit of familiarity may have bred a lot of contempt in me or maybe I am just too old to deal with the 'thrill' of all the traffic and figuring out where the heck I am going and hoping I won't get mugged in the process. In both places, while driving alone, I got lost in the wrong section of each town once and that was once too many times for me. Happened in a couple of other places too - don't ask me to visit New Haven ever again either, for instance. Wish people would locate in towns I can still abide - even NYC if not at the end of island (upper West Side I could handle) but I also understand why they don't take me into consideration when they plan their new restaurants. The day they all open in Ottawa, Ontario or Asheville, NC, I will be there with bells on! Not much chance of that though I would guess.

[cyalexa]

@Deryn  I am directionally challenged and prone to getting lost. I got my first GPS back when they looked like little rear-projection TVs and even the low-end ones were about $600. It changed my life and I now travel by myself on a regular basis. I do try to be safely locked in my hotel room before dark if at all possible. I have my big meal at lunch or at the first reservation of the evening. I arrive for evening reservations in plenty of time to circle as long as needed for a good parking spot if there is no valet parking. I'm not saying you should do what I do, just sharing what has worked to allow me to experience good meals in cities like Birmingham, Nashville, Dallas, Memphis, Atlanta, etc. I used to live near Chicago but other than going to work I didn't get out much. I am hoping to make St. Louis after Rob opens.