FX’s The Bear gave us Carmy Berzatto, a chef haunted by perfectionism, his past, and the relentless grind of the kitchen. But long before Carmy, there was Charlie Trotter. The 2021 documentary Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter is a must-watch for anyone captivated by Jeremy Allen White’s performance as Carmy in The Bear — largely because the fictional Carmy was loosely based on the story of the real-life Trotter.
Charlie Trotter wasn’t just a chef. He was an artist, a visionary, and an irascible tyrant. His namesake Chicago restaurant, which operated from 1987 to 2012, set the standard for modern fine dining in America — and it got to that point, because Trotter was obsessive, pushing boundaries with tasting menus before they were the norm, and demanding absolute perfection from his staff. Like Carmy, he burned with an intensity that alienated some and inspired others. He could be cruel, with a legendary temper legendary, but his brilliance was undeniable.
Like Trotter, The Bear’s Carmy is a chef shaped by the relentless pursuit of excellence, trained in the world’s finest kitchens, and burdened by an uncompromising vision. Creativity and cruelty collide in both of their kitchens, pushing those around them to the breaking point. Trotter’s standards were impossibly high — likewise Carmy, in his worst moments, sometimes lashes out at his staff in a desperate bid for greatness. And yet, beneath the bravado, both men found themselves haunted by loss, loneliness, and the unshakable feeling that no success will ever be enough.
“I have to remind myself to breathe sometimes,” Carmy says in season two, episode three of The Bear. “I have to remind myself to be present, you know? Remind myself that the sky is not falling, that there is no other shoe, which is incredibly difficult because there is always another shoe.”
You could almost imagine Trotter saying something along those lines, albeit in one of his more reflective moments, in Love, Charlie. Trotter died in 2013, and the documentary about his life from director Rebecca Halpern is available on Netflix as well as via VOD.
Trotter’s relentless drive made him a culinary legend, but it also made him a deeply complicated, often tormented man. The documentary explores his meteoric rise, his battles with critics and competitors, and his eventual downfall. If The Bear has drawn you into the chaos, the beauty, and the heartbreak of the restaurant world, Love, Charlie will only deepen that fascination. Give it a watch ahead of Season 4 of The Bear, because Trotter’s life is a reminder of the theme that pervades FX’s magnificent series: That genius often comes at a cost.
And that, sometimes, the thing we love the most is also the thing that destroys us.
