Columnist Muriel Stevens: Culinary superstar Trotter visits Vegas

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998 | 10:54 a.m.

Hanging out with Charlie: Take one culinary superstar -- Charlie Trotter -- add a few members of his Chicago team -- alter ego Mark Signori, pastry chef Michelle Gayer and Sari Zernich (recipe development and testing); stir in Marni Moorhead, formerly of Trotter's Las Vegas, and you've got the recipe for an exciting day, Trotter style.

Anyone involved with Trotter knows better than to expect any rest on the days when the restaurant is closed. If you're part of the Trotter team, it's the norm to always be in high gear. Trotter is like a perpetual motion machine. There must be times when he tires of the frenetic pace, but there was no evidence of any letdown during the time I spent with him.

The dynamic chef was in Las Vegas to take part in the Chef des Chef Trade Show and Conference at the Alexis Park Hotel. Gayer, too, would be a presenter, demonstrating the natural desserts that are so much a part of any Charlie Trotter's degustation dinner.

The troupe arrived in Las Vegas the day after preparing a dinner for 130 guests at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The dinner was a huge success. Long after it was over, Trotter was still answering questions and signing books.

Chefs who travel, as the Trotter group does, carry all sorts of cooking paraphernalia. So many of the ingredients Trotter uses in his dishes are unique to him. The logistics of having everything in place when they arrive is vital. Watching the Trotter team at work was awesome.

The day had been planned down to the last detail, but time is always the enemy. Trotter gives any audience all of his attention, so there's no use trying to get him to cut short a personal appearance.

After the presentations, everyone would go to the Barnes and Noble bookstore on Rainbow and Lake Mead for a 6 p.m. book signing and tasting. In addition to the gorgeous "Charlie Trotter's" series, there is now "Charlie Trotter's Gourmet Cooking for Dummies," for all level cooks. My role was to see that they got to the bookstore, then we would all go to Emeril's at the MGM Grand where we would "let the good times roll."

It was four years ago, at the first Chef des Chef Conference, that I first met Charlie and Emeril. They were both presenters, I was covering the event. We've been friends ever since.

More than 400 chefs and restaurateurs showed up for Trotter's presentation of his kitchen, and to taste Gayer's desserts. No one left. They all wanted to talk to Charlie and they all wanted him to sign their books. It would have been a cinch for him to just write his name, but that's not Trotter's style. He personally inscribes each and every book, even adding comments.

Periodically, Mark would dash out to the car where I was waiting to keep me informed. The bookstore was alerted, "Charlie is running a wee bit behind." The group couldn't leave without him, they were busy dishing up and serving hundreds of the desserts. Marni volunteered to go on ahead to the bookstore and get the food for the tasting organized. Minutes later she was on her way.

Finally, the car was packed and off we went. It was now the height of the traffic rush so I opted not to use the freeway. We would have gotten there in record time except for my somehow getting on the freeway just a short distance from our destination. With Mark's help, I made it back to the bookstore where Charlie's admirers waited. In spite of arriving late, there was a good audience.

This was the first time I'd seen Trotter at a book signing. His comments were spontaneous and meaningful. "Cooking is like music," he said. "You have to practice, practice, practice. And, he continued, "you have to taste, taste and taste some more, to learn how to put flavors together." He also likened cooking to a chess game where you have to plan every move.

Trotter aims to make food that is so good that the diner makes a visible sound when the first bite is tasted. There were plenty of sounds when Trotter's citrus and vodka-cured smoked salmon, topped with a nest of green noodles with a creamy dressing and bull's blood lettuce, was served. The unusual lettuce (more like large, leafy sprouts) is grown by a speciality farmer just for Trotter.

Dinner at Emeril's was a splendid meal created by Chef Michael Jordan. With the day over it was now a time to visit, "dish" and eat. This designated driver, almost, didn't mind a bit that she could barely partake of the splendid wines (the menu and wines will appear in Friday's column), the food was so good. Each course was eaten, discussed, and toasted for its excellent preparation and imagination.

We barely made it to the airport in time for the midnight flight to Chicago.

Hanging out with Charlie and company is a wild and wonderful way to spend an evening.

More Trotter

Next up for Trotter is his just-completed first cooking series for PBS. The concept is unlike any other show currently on the air. Using the ideas that worked so well for "Charlie Trotter's Gourmet Cooking for Dummies," merged with the appeal of the coffee table series, he's come up with a fresh new format that's designed to send home cooks right into the kitchen.

And, the answer to "When is Charlie Trotter's coming back to Las Vegas?" is, sooner than you think. If I judged what I heard accurately, it's no longer a matter of if, but when.