Isn’t Life Strange...

I was checking around for something to watch waiting for “The Man Who Would be King” (an interview with England’s Prince Charles – it was excellent, BTW and would have been perfect for Anglophiles like my brother Carl and Jake). I came across a taped “At the table with...” a Cooking Channel show I sometimes watch. It features a bio of a chef, some I’ve heard of, some I haven’t.

This time was one I hadn’t heard of before, Grant Achatz. Stealing from Wikipedia, here’s the main facts:

Grant Achatz (born 1974) is an American chef and restaurateur who is considered to be on the cutting edge of the movement of menu item construction often referred to as molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine (think Wylie Dufresne). Achatz has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publications including the "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award" for 2003 and "Best Chef in the United States" for 2008 from the James Beard Foundation.

Following graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, Achatz landed a position at Thomas Keller's highly acclaimed restaurant, The French Laundry, in Yountville, California. Achatz spent four years at The French Laundry, rising to the position of sous chef.

In 2005, Achatz went out on his own, opening Alinea in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. In October 2006, Gourmet magazine named Alinea the best restaurant in America in its feature on "America's Top 50 Restaurants".

But, here’s the kicker: He started his career working in his family’s restaurant in St. Clair, Michigan! I’ve eaten in there a hundred times or more!! It was a little Mom & Pop place with decent home cooking. The local teens loved it for the chili-cheese fries.

Weird...