Over the summer a friend sat me down and had me watch the documentary For Grace. She had just visited Grace, the three-Michelin-star restaurant in the West Loop that’s featured in the film, to shoot a video with owner and head chef Curtis Duffy for Escoffier Culinary School’s online program and was in awe of the food, the restaurant, and the man behind it all. As someone who’s more likely to be found eating pizza at a dive bar than sitting for a multicourse meal at the most expensive restaurant in Chicago, watching the movie was the closest I ever thought I’d get to this experience. But when Duffy was chosen as an inductee into the Disciples d’Escoffier, I joined in on the celebration and got a look at Grace firsthand.
On this particular night, the prep stations were decorated with logs, moss, branches, and other flora. We were served bites like white truffles on a tapioca cloud and a piece of lobster with a ball of butter that burst open in my mouth. Chefs would step away from their culinary prep duties every once in a while to add a magical-looking fog to the scene (“It’s just hot water on dry ice, pretty easy,” one chef admitted). Paired with the appetizers was a cocktail featuring Koval rye whiskey, Koval walnut liqueur, and apple cider to honor the work of Birnecker and Birnecker Hart.
Michelin star organization. @escoffierschools
A photo posted by Brianna Wellen (@breezamarie) on Nov 21, 2016 at 3:53pm PST
Watching magic happen. @escoffierschools
A photo posted by Brianna Wellen (@breezamarie) on Nov 21, 2016 at 3:27pm PST
