Near the busy corner of Armitage and Halsted in Chicago, Chef Charlie Trotter’s Michelin-starred restaurant was approaching a significant milestone.
Trotter, a chef celebrated for his innovative approach to cuisine, was planning something unique for his 25th anniversary.
He had published 11 cookbooks over his career—two of which I designed—and each a testament to his culinary journey. But his newest project was set to be different: it aimed to recreate every recipe from his first cookbook faithfully—but with a twist.
But before discussing that, let’s look more closely at how he approached cooking.
Below are images of a lobster dish and an oyster dish from recipes we profiled in one of the cookbooks I designed for Chef Trotter.
In those books, the recipes often combined the ordinary with the exotic—Chilled Spring Pea Soup with Mussel, Elephant Garlic, and Fiddlehead Fern-Stuffed Red Onions.
Or the exotic with the extraordinary—Salmon Roe-Potato Blini with Tobiko Wasabi Creme Fraiche and Osetra Caviar.
Trotter’s recipes were often long and complex, with five or more parts assembled on the plate. Yet, he encouraged readers to think conceptually about food and flavors.
He even encouraged improvisation, believing that if you understood the concept, you could substitute as needed.
Using exactly the same ingredients as each original recipe in his first published cookbook, Chef Trotter would create something entirely new.
What would be interesting, he explained as we talked about the project, was that readers could compare the results. The original cookbook recipes and photographs would be set side-by-side with a contemporary take on exactly the same elements.
By comparing the originals with the modern versions, readers could see how his culinary philosophy—and the restaurant—had evolved.
You can almost see Trotter thinking about the food he is tasting in the above still image by Paul Elledge from the cookbook.
To think differently about the same elements—for years—is a foundation of inspired creativity.
Like chefs, designers grapple with familiar elements—words, images, colors, typography, and form. Over 25 years, a designer or chef will have transformed the same basic elements into thousands of different ideas.
These fundamental components can be crafted into thousands of diverse and innovative ideas.
Consider chocolate, cherries, oranges, and cream—very basic elements. In the image below, Trotter transforms the orange by burning it and presents the dish as terrines, which are typically made with game meat (such as pheasant and hare) to preserve food. It’s unusual to see them as a dessert.
We often think that innovation requires starting with a whole new set of “ingredients.” Yet, the reality is that exceptional creatives like Trotter excel not by constantly seeking new elements but by reinterpreting and recombining the familiar in novel ways.
They use the same form in new ways.
This pursuit is not about doing something entirely new; it’s about seeing things with fresh eyes—identifying patterns, making unexpected connections, and viewing familiar concepts from unexplored perspectives.
Our collaboration on Charlie Trotter’s anniversary cookbook was ambitious but remained unfinished.
A few years later, for health reasons that he did not publicly disclose at the time, Chef Trotter closed his legendary restaurant on his terms.
Yet, for over 25 years—each day and at each seating—Charlie Trotter achieved something remarkable: he never served the same dish twice.
Each day, each meal was a testament to relentless creativity and innovation.
Charlie Trotter was one of the world’s most innovative chefs at the top of his game. He encouraged—and pushed—everyone around him to be better. He didn’t see this as a level to reach but as a philosophy to live by.
Imagine the boundless creativity we could unleash if we looked at our familiar “ingredients” with fresh eyes every day. This mindset isn’t confined to the realms of cooking or design; it’s a universal principle that applies to all creative endeavors.
It’s a lesson that all of us, regardless of our field, can apply to our work and lives.
Each day is an opportunity to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
It’s about asking, “What’s next?” and looking at the world with curiosity and inventiveness.
