Grant Achatz facts for kids
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Grant Achatz preparing a dish tableside at Alinea in 2011
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| Born | April 25, 1974 St. Clair, Michigan, US |
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| Cooking style | Modernist cuisine |
| Education | The Culinary Institute of America |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Grant Achatz (born April 25, 1974) is a famous American chef and restaurant owner. He is known for his very creative and scientific cooking style, sometimes called "modernist cuisine." Grant Achatz has won many important awards for his cooking. His restaurant in Chicago, called Alinea, is especially famous and has received many honors.
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Early Life and Culinary Training
Grant Achatz grew up in St. Clair, Michigan. His parents owned restaurants, and he started working in them when he was a teenager. This early experience helped him discover his passion for cooking. After high school, he decided to study cooking professionally. He went to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, which is a very well-known cooking school.
Grant Achatz's Culinary Journey
After finishing culinary school in 1994, Grant Achatz moved to Chicago. He got a job at a famous restaurant called Charlie Trotter's. Later, he worked at another highly praised restaurant, The French Laundry, in Yountville, California. He spent four years at The French Laundry, learning a lot and moving up to become a sous chef. A sous chef is the second-in-command in a kitchen.
Leading the Kitchen at Trio
In 2001, Grant Achatz became the head chef at Trio in Evanston, Illinois. When he arrived, Trio already had a four-star rating. Over the next three years, with Achatz leading the kitchen, Trio became even more famous. In 2004, the restaurant earned a fifth star, which is a very high honor. At that time, only 13 restaurants in the country had five stars.
Opening Alinea: A Unique Restaurant
In 2005, Grant Achatz decided to open his own restaurant. He partnered with Nick Kokonas and opened Alinea in Chicago. Alinea is known for being very unique. It doesn't have a bar or a big waiting area. It only seats 64 guests. Achatz serves a special "tasting menu" with about 18 small courses. Each dish is like a work of art.
Less than two years after opening, Alinea also received a Five Star Award. This made Alinea one of only 16 restaurants in the entire country to get five stars in 2007.
Alinea's Global Recognition
Alinea quickly became famous around the world. In 2006, Gourmet magazine called Alinea the best restaurant in America. In 2007, Restaurant magazine added Alinea to its list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. It was the highest new restaurant on the list that year. Alinea continued to climb the list, reaching number 6 in 2011.
In 2011, Alinea was also awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide for Chicago. This is the highest rating a restaurant can get from Michelin. Alinea has kept its three Michelin stars every year since, including in 2024.
Other Restaurants and Projects
Grant Achatz has opened other successful places too. These include Next, a restaurant in Chicago that uses a special ticketing system for reservations. He also opened The Aviary, which is a unique bar. Other places include Roister Chicago, The Office (a hidden cocktail bar), and The Aviary/Office NYC in New York.
Reservations for Next are so popular that tickets were sometimes sold for very high prices online. In 2012, Achatz even held an auction for tickets to a special menu at Next, raising over $275,000 for charity.
In 2016, Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas closed Alinea for a big renovation. During this time, they also created special "pop-up" restaurants in Madrid, Spain, and Miami, Florida.
Books by Grant Achatz
Grant Achatz has also shared his culinary knowledge through books.
- In October 2008, he and Nick Kokonas published Alinea. This book features over 100 recipes from the restaurant. It also tells the story of what it's like to work in the Alinea kitchen.
- In March 2011, they released Life, On the Line. This book tells the story of their partnership and Grant Achatz's personal health challenges.
- They have also released digital cookbooks for Next Restaurant, sharing recipes from their special menus.
Health and Personal Life
In July 2007, Grant Achatz was diagnosed with a serious illness affecting his mouth. Doctors initially thought he would need major surgery that could affect his ability to taste and speak. However, doctors at the University of Chicago suggested a different treatment plan using special medicines and radiation. This treatment worked, and in December 2007, Achatz announced he was free of the illness. He slowly regained his sense of taste.
Grant Achatz has two sons, Kaden and Keller, from a previous marriage. He named his son Keller after his mentor, chef Thomas Keller. In November 2023, Grant Achatz married Samantha Lim.
Awards and Recognitions
Grant Achatz and his restaurants have received many awards over the years. Here are some of them:
- Best New Chefs, Food & Wine, 2002
- Best Restaurant in America, Gourmet, 2006
- AAA Five Diamond Award, 2007–2017
- Mobil Five Star Award, Mobil Travel Guide, 2007–2017
- Jean Banchet Award – Best Celebrity Chef, 2007
- The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants, multiple years (highest #6 in 2011)
- James Beard Foundation Award – Rising Star Chef of the Year, 2003
- James Beard Foundation Award – Outstanding Chef, 2008
- 3 Michelin Stars, 2011-2024
- The 2011 Time 100 (list of the 100 most influential people)
- Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants in the World - #1 multiple years
