It's August 10, 2003. I see a reference to eGullet in a long article in the New York Times, "A Laboratory of Taste," which ranges far and wide but focuses on progressive cuisine in Spain. In the second paragraph is a quote from Charlie Trotter -- OK, I know him -- followed by one from Thomas Keller (ditto). I keep reading, and at the end of the next paragraph is:
Quote"Everybody on eGullet wants to know what is happening in Spain,'' says Grant Achatz, the young chef at Trio, a foodie favorite in Evanston, Ill.
(Here's a 2003 eGullet thread about Trio.)
Trotter was the big dog in Chicago at the time, but I knew that Achatz had worked at both Charlie Trotter's and The French Laundry, so I say to myself, "Self, what is this eGullet of which he speaks?" I order it up via the intertubes and commence browsing. After a succession of "Oh, this is interesting!" threads, what should I see but this one, about the first Heartland Gathering, in, of all places, Grand Rapids. (Unfortunately, all of the pictures were lost in a software changeover.)
I sign up that very day, send a PM to MatthewB offering my assistance, and the rest, as they say, is histrionic. Or something like that.
