Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter Review

3 stars, an interesting insight into a troubled culinary mind.

Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter is a 2025 documentary film, written and directed by Rebecca Halpern (Helter Skelter: An American Myth, Gangland).

It is available to stream on UK Digital Platforms from 14th April 2025, courtesy of Blue Eyes Film and Miracle Media Distribution.

“It wasn’t fine dining, let’s just say and I didn’t think of him as a chef at all. I thought of him as a deep thinker and somebody who wanted to change the world.”

Before the Food Network and social media, Chef Charlie Trotter revolutionised global cuisine, redefining modern fine dining and inspiring chefs across the world—including the UK’s own Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal, who considered him both a friend and an inspiration. His pioneering approach to tasting menus, obsession with perfection, and dedication to innovation shaped the culinary landscape we know today.

Featuring exclusive interviews with world-renowned chefs Wolfgang Puck, Grant Achatz, Emeril Lagasse, Norman Van Aken, and Carrie Nahabedian, the film offers a rare inside look at a visionary who pushed boundaries and paid the price. With never-before-seen archival footage, Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter explores how Trotter’s uncompromising drive led to both triumph and tragedy. Told through intimate interviews with family, friends, and industry icons, including his first wife Lisa Ehrlich, the film reveals the man behind the legend.

“For the first time in my life I realised that this was a place that tried to elevate the cuisine and the ambience and the service and the wine programme, all in equal measure.”

This is a very interesting and well put together documentary, featuring lots of interviews with people who really knew and understood Charlie Trotter as a person, as well as a chef. There is also lots of archive footage of Charlie explaining his motives in his own words.

As a non American, I was not familiar with his work prior to watching this film and found it fascinating to watch his approach to cooking, so different from anyone else on the scene at the time. However, I did used to be a chef and whether that made it more interesting to me I’m not sure, it’s entirely possible. Seeing the way he prioritized his restaurant and career over family and friends will, I’m sure, resonate with many people who have worked in the industry. While he doesn’t come across as likeable or easy to work for, the impact he had on everyone around him is undeniable.

All in all, while probably of more interest to the American audience, this is a good watch and worth a look if you have an interest in fine dining.

“You know the old adage that the customer is always right? Nothing could be further than the truth. The customer is rarely right and that it why you must seize control of the circumstances and dominate every last detail…”