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Michelin-starred chef Curtis Duffy of Grace and Ever restaurants discusses his memoir, Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef, written with Jeremy Wagner.Fireproof charts chef Curtis Duffy’s rise in spite of trauma, to being mentored by and recognized among the world’s top chefs. Amid childhood chaos in rural Ohio, a young Duffy first found refuge in home ec class, then at one of Columbus’s best restaurants, where he honed his skills.
In Chicago, Duffy worked in Chef Charlie Trotter’s kitchen—a hotbed of talent that produced prominent alumni such as Grant Achatz, Graham Elliot, and Homaro Cantu. Inspired by stellar peers and staging for Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, Duffy’s drive only grew.
His meteoric rise would cost him a marriage—the price of ambition, focus, and Grace restaurant. Grace earned three Michelin stars four years in a row, solidifying Duffy’s place as one of the world’s greatest culinary artists. But in a heartbreaking act of defiance, Duffy walked out after disputes with Grace’s owner.
Unstoppable, Duffy created Ever restaurant—a launch nearly derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever earned two Michelin stars from 2021-2024. Duffy was ranked one of the “50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining” in 2024 by the Robb Report.
Books will be for sale and the event will conclude with a book signing.
This event will be moderated by Louisa Kung Liu Chu. Chu is the restaurant critic at the Chicago Tribune. She was nominated for the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award by the James Beard Foundation in 2022 and 2024. Previously, she worked as a chef, staged at Michelin three starred restaurants and was a fixer for Anthony Bourdain. Chu is a Chinese American immigrant, born in Hong Kong, raised in Chicago, and worked at her family’s chop suey restaurant.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Edgewood Middle School, 911 Edgewood Rd, Highland Park, IL 60035-4623, United States
