Achatz was always destined to enter the restaurant business and grew up helping out in his parents’ diner in Michigan before attending the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, Achatz made his way to The French Laundry where he worked under the mentorship of chef Thomas Keller for five years, rising to the position of Sous Chef. A short stage at the iconic elBulli in Roses, Spain, proved transformative for Achatz and encouraged him to take on the role of Executive Chef at Trio in Evanston, IL. It was here that he really began to realize his potential as a creative force in gastronomy and the accolades followed with James Beard Foundation naming him Rising Star Chef. In 2004, Achatz partnered with investor and hospitality novice Nick Kokonas to realize the chef’s dream of his own restaurant, Alinea in Chicago.
In 2008, Achatz was diagnosed with stage IVB cancer of the tongue, with a prognosis that gave him only two years to live. Instead of the recommended treatment of complete amputation of the tongue followed by radiation and chemotherapy, Achatz gambled on an experimental protocol with the University of Chicago. It paid off: Achatz has been free of evidence of the disease since 2009.
Restaurants
As co-owner of the Alinea Group, Achatz is the main creative force behind a stable of restaurants lighting Chicago’s culinary scene across a range of formats. The flagship Alinea has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation with Outstanding Restaurant in 2016 and Best Restaurant in the US by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. In a city whose restaurant scene is thriving, Alinea remains at the apex, as a revolutionary concept where the rules of what an American fine dining restaurant can be have been rewritten.
From the beginning, the Alinea team has always pushed creative boundaries, not only in terms of innovative culinary output, but also service, atmosphere, and meticulous attention to detail. In 2011, Achatz opened Next restaurant, which includes the ultra-modern bar concept The Aviary and speakeasy The Office. Next was quickly named Best New Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation, while The Aviary won Outstanding Bar Program a few years later. In 2016, Achatz opened Roister, which elevates comforting, rustic dishes with fine-dining techniques and global flavors, and includes the St. Clair Supper Club which celebrates classics like prime rib, a brandy old fashioned, and grasshopper pie.
Recipes and dishes
Alinea is famous for its innovative approach to modern fine dining and many of Achatz’s dishes have been immortalized in the pantheon of culinary greats.
The Table Dessert is one of his most iconic creations, where the sweet course is created to music on a specifically designed culinary canvas allowing for free expression in plating and a novel experience for the diner.
Alinea’s Clear Pumpkin Pie was a viral sensation when first released and has been mimicked countless times, the technical wizardry to elevate an American classic to something artistic has made it an enduring symbol of the restaurant’s style.
The Apple Balloons can perhaps trace a clear line to elBulli: delicious apple-flavored balloons filled with helium for an irreverent, even silly experience to lighten the mood.
At Trio, long before Alinea even existed, Achatz created his Potato Truffle Explosion, a ravioli stuffed with truffle sauce, that is so intense, it is reputed to send shivers down your spine. The dish proved so popular that it became the chef’s signature and is still on the menu at Alinea.
