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Alinea

chefg

By chefg
in The Heartland: Dining

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chefg

chefg

Posted
Posted

I had indeed read the posts about my "rumored" departure from Trio, and I apoligize for taking so long to address the members of this board. It was important to us however to inform the staff of Trio and other appropriate individuals personnally before announcing the creation of Alinea.

The parting of myself and Henry is a mutual one, each of us supporting the others goals. Trio will carry on, and given Henry's track record of successful business and talent picking, the fourth generation of Trio will be another amazing transition, just as the three previous.

I suggest we keep the two topics of Aliena and Trio sepreate if possible. There are already too many threads running on this news in this forum, I feel condensing them to two would make for a more efficient read.

Alinea...the name..

About two years ago the kitchen team and myself were brainstorming on a logo or symbol that we could use to express the characteristics of our cuisine. A few days after that meeting a chef brought me a piece of paper that he printed off the net. It was the Alinea symbol with a definition. I was immediately drawn to it. Not only for it's direct meaning......and the parallel to the different style of cuisine that we were producing at the time, the symbol itself with such history linked to alchemy, the asthetics of the lines, but I also felt like it perfectly captured the emotional state of a chef as they underwent the process of creating a new restaurant. I tucked the piece of paper away for two years....knowing I would use it eventually.

The creative team...

The staff of Alinea will constist of many dedcated passionate individuals...many of which I have not even met yet...however, I am currently working with a group of amazing people. From Trio.. pastry chef Curtis Duffy and sous chef John Peters have commited to positions at Alinea. They will also be part of the test kitchen/menu development process that wil happen during the iterim period. We will have a regimented outline designed during this period to create new techniques and produce mature dishes for the opening. They will also play a large role in the delvelopment of the kitchen design, which I believe will prove to be very different than the norm..at least in this country.

They will both hold sous chef titles at Alinea.

Joe Catterson will assume the role of GM/ Wine Director. I was very excited that Joe agreed to join the team. He will also contibute a great deal to the design of the restaurant and will undoubtably craft a wine/service experience at the hightest level.

I imagine the restaurant to employ nearly 40 people, obviously I have only mentioned a few above, and I am excited to bring every member of the team aboard.

We suspect the launch of the website to be in two weeks. I will post the link when it is available. At that time you wil be able to see the other members of the creative team's work. It is truely is a network of 12-14 people and growing whom really understand the philosophy, vision, goals, and standard.

It is my intention to keep up to the best of my ability with this thread. We are also entertaining the thought of documenting the development of Alinea after August 15th on our website. Both in the physical changes to the building as far as design, and the results of the test kitchen and dish development. Maybe we can work something out with egullet to help organize this in a productive way.

I welcome questions but bear in mind I will not be able to answer promply or at all...but I will do my best.

Grant.

--

Grant Achatz

Chef/Owner

Alinea

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yellow truffle

yellow truffle

Posted
Posted

chefG

Thanx for the report. Through your words, one is left excited to be part of your new team. I hope to experience your new venture, through the possible documentation process on the web and experiencing the new space. With you as the man behind the concept and everything else, I am sure that the food and experience will be nothing less than spectacular. I cant wait. Good luck.

yt

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slbunge

slbunge

Posted
Posted (edited)
Chef, I have to say Alinea is a great name - the symbol is a pilcrow, correct? Like this:

I found a link to a symbol 'dictionary' here. Not quite the pilcrow but similar.

Edited to add: Congratulations and good luck chefg.

Edited by slbunge (log)

Stephen Bunge

St Paul, MN

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ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
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Congratulations Chef!

Thank you very much for stopping by and filling in some of the blanks for us. Please do keep us updated as you can. It's much appreciated. Very much looking to the web site launch as well. :smile:

Are you a little busy over there? :biggrin:

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
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Best of the best, Grant. This is an excellent opportunity.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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chicagowench

chicagowench

Posted
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chefg, congratulations on your new venture. I had the pleasure of dining at Trio with my mother last September. While I'm bummed I won't be able to take my husband there and experience your cuisine in that lovely space with him, we're both looking forward to experiencing your new venture when we get back up to Chicago. I realize it's yet more work, but I think the idea of documenting the evolution of Alinea on the website is great.

What do you mean I shouldn't feed the baby sushi?

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chefwoody

chefwoody

Posted
Posted

Chef,

It's finally happening: doubtless, a large step down the path towards something great. I can't wait to see Alinea establish itself as a new hub for American progressive cuisine.

Wish I could be there.

Cheers and congratulations.

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Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman

Posted
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I had the pleasure a week ago not only of dining there but of hanging out in the kitchen. The kitchen runs smoothly and cleanly. Chef Grant, at work, is one of the quietest chefs I've encountered. What I admired most is that the innovative techniques (which I have been very very skeptical of) are used to logical effect to create satisfying rather than simply surprising dishes. Grant's opening his own restaurant is something I'll greatly anticipate. And his partner Henry, clearly a unique ebullient talent in his own right, will no doubt take Trio in an exciting direction as well. I'm really looking forward to it all.

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docsconz

docsconz

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Unfortunately, I will have missed your work at Trio, but I'm looking forward to making it out to Chicago to dine at Alinea. Best wishes.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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Bicycle Lee

Bicycle Lee

Posted
Posted

I too will most likely miss your work at Trio, which I have heard from firsthand witnesses was "transcendent". However, I will no doubt be coming to Alinea at some point....

Also.....are you hiring for any kitchen positions still?

"Make me some mignardises, &*%$@!" -Mateo

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chefg

chefg

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Good question, are you taking stages or hiring yet?

I have only retained management positions for Alinea at this point. I would suggest checking the website frequently when it launches sometime in the next two weeks. It will offer information regarding externships, employment and stage opportunities available when we decide to start taking commitments for these positions.

--

Grant Achatz

Chef/Owner

Alinea

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chefg

chefg

Posted
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I too will most likely miss your work at Trio, which I have heard from firsthand witnesses was "transcendent". However, I will no doubt be coming to Alinea at some point....

Also.....are you hiring for any kitchen positions still?

As I mentioned before, I have commitments for two sous chef positions. One of the current sous chefs at Trio and the current pastry chef at Trio will fill those roles. I suspect three of the chefs I have on staff here will cross over to Alinea, however with an anticipated opening date in January, this period of time may cause some pre-committed attrition.

As I see it now the team will be composed of at least 15, probably closer to 20 with the presence of externs and long term stages. I am included in that count, as my role is a very involved one in day-to-day prep and service. Under me there will either be three sous chefs OR two sous chefs and a pastry chef. That is yet to be determined. All other staff will be at a chef de partie level, we will not utilize commis at Alinea. Nor will we give classical titles to the cooks such as saucier or garde manger, as the cuisine will not follow those predetermined guidelines.

--

Grant Achatz

Chef/Owner

Alinea

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chefg

chefg

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how many seats do you hope to have at your new place

I expect it to be between 65 and 75 seats. Roughly 20 to 25 tables. 5 to 7 on the first floor and the balance on the second floor.

--

Grant Achatz

Chef/Owner

Alinea

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Louisa Chu

Louisa Chu

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Chef, congratulations. And thank you again for allowing me the privilege to stage in your kitchen - it was an honour and a pleasure. Bon courage to you, John, Curtis, and Joe. I'm looking forward to what comes next from your new team's hands, hearts, and minds.

Will you have the controversial Kitchen Table? And what kitchens worldwide are you drawing upon for design?

Movable Feast
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