Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter (2021) on Netflix

Plot summary

Assembled from personal and family archive film, home movies, letters to friends, family and loved ones, and conversations with fellow chefs, the film traces the life of Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. Self-taught, he ran a restaurant for 25 years, where a diverse team that came from Chicago and elsewhere improvised ten-course tasting menus and never served the same dish twice. He is credited with inventing micro-greens and with taking vegetarianism mainstream, and the photography in his cookbooks changed how food was pictured. His insistence on exceptional ingredients and his exacting standards drew ambitious cooks to his door, and his trainees became a who's who of cooking. Those close to him knew a fun-loving dreamer called Chuck, and the film follows how Chuck gave way to Charlie as his identity became tied to his work.