Restaurant and Food Service Blog

The dining room at Alinea is a rare and special place where dark-suited waiters glide past tables, carrying trays laden with fantastical creations.

But the most startling aspect of that performance is not the food. It is that the man who spends 17 hours a day orchestrating it has never tasted some of his creations.

Chef Grant Achatz relies upon his Sous Chef to taste his creations. Chef Achatz was diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer - Stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth that has spread to his lymph nodes - in 2007. Late last year, Achatz said that he was finished with all of his chemo and treatments from the University or Chicago through his publicist.  Now he is nominated for a James Beard Award – one of the highest distinctions for a chef.  Good Luck Chef Achatz!
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