Celebrating 10 years and the "six degrees" of Tru
Ten chefs recently crafted 10 courses (11 if you include the amuse bouche) for 10 tables of 10 diners to mark the 10th anniversary of Tru restaurant.
Founded by chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with Lettuce Entertain You restaurateur Rich Melman in 1999, Tru quickly attained local, national and international acclaim for its fine dining with a pinch of fun. Its success accelerated the rise of culinary stars Tramonto (the savory guy) and Gand (the dessert diva).
During the last decade they've served presidents and presidential hopefuls, celebrities including Robin Williams (who played waiter one night), Carol Burnett ("she laughed at my jokes," Gand recalls), Mick Jagger and Michael Jordan, and countless people celebrating proposals, birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones.
"We've cooked for so many special guests and helped them stop time and mark a moment," Gand said. "If it's a proposal or an anniversary, we get to be part of that."
The gala dinner (which turned into a five-plus hour orgy of exquisite food and glorious wine) provided an opportunity for Gand and Tramonto to mark a moment with friends and diners who have supported them over the years. As they prepared for the sold-out event with their kitchen successors Tim Graham and Meg Galus and friends and culinary luminaries Ming Tsai, Michael Symon, Jose Andre, Susur Lee, Michelle Bernstein and Michael Laiskonis, Gand, of Riverwoods, and Tramonto, of Vernon Hills, stopped for a few minutes to reflect on the last decade and predict the next.
The last 10
Gand: "For me, Tru is my art studio, where I'm on an artistic journey. I don't always know where it's going to take me. An idea is handed to me and I work with it.
"To hit 10 years is a very big deal for us. We wake up every day and do it again, but we're always looking to make it better... looking for the right shape of ice, better butter or better sugar. You never think it's as great as it could be."
Tramonto: "It's been quite a ride. It's all about the team. Whether in sports, music or restaurants, you need a fantastic team around you and we have been blessed with an amazing entourage. Gale and I are lucky to be the face of it."
The future:
Gand: "I don't like to set goals; goals limit you... I don't plan, I just try to keep up with my life, what the universe has dealt us, and say 'thank you.'
"Running a restaurant is like being a good parent. After five years you don't stop buying books or reading to them because they can do it on their own, you keep nurturing them. It's the same at Tru."
Tramonto: "We'll keep doing what we've always done; be as consistent and steady as we can year after year.
"I would like to do another cookbook about Tru. There is more to be told. And I would like to keep pushing Meg and Tim, to see how those folks develop."
I'm still full from the recent dinner (the sake and miso marinated Alaskan butterfish and Gand's roasted rhubarb and fraises de Bois "pie" stand out) and looking forward to 20 courses and 20 chefs in 10 more years.
Road trip: Spend a Saturday picking blueberries and sweet corn and visiting with pigs and cows during "A Day in the Country," a field trip for foodies sponsored by Cooking with the Best Chefs and ChicaGourmets! (By the way: Gand and Tramonto refer to ChicaGourmets founder Don Newcomb and partner Jim Price as their "lucky charm." During the gala dinner they cited accolades earned by Trio, Brasserie T and Tru after the pair dined at each restaurant on its opening night.)
Back to the trip. Participants can board an air-conditioned coach at 8 a.m. at 3150 S. River Road, Des Plaines, or at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of State and Lake streets, Chicago, for the cruise through the Indiana countryside.
The itinerary includes a stop at the Vandermolen Blueberry Farm in Renssalaer, lunch featuring fresh roast pork and a blueberry dessert, an ear picking at the Sweet Corn Patch and tours of the Belstra Milling Pork Farm and Bos Family Dairy Farms.
The locavore excursion costs $69; participation is limited and registration is required. Casual attire and comfortable shoes are recommended.
Register at chicagourmets.org or bestchegs.com or call (630) 359-4600.
Reality bites: If you think you have what it takes to be the next Rachael Ray or Guy Fieri, be at the Affinia Chicago Hotel Sunday, July 12, to audition for "The Next Food Network Star."
You might not achieve the success Gand had as host of her own dessert show, "Sweet Dreams," or get to prepare your dishes in Iron Chef Stadium as Gand and Tramonto did, but if you don't at least give it a shot you'll never know.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Food Network will conduct a nationwide talent search and is looking for both professional and amateur chefs to apply.
Hopefuls should bring an application (available at foodnetwork.com/star), photograph and resume and/or bio to the audition, where they will meet with network casting directors. The hotel is at 166 E. Superior St., within sight of, what else, Tru.
Interested candidates unable to attend an open casting call may submit a three-minute audition video explaining why he or she should be Food Network's newest star. Contest rules and submission instructions are at foodnetwork.com/star.
Good luck!
- Deborah Pankey
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago" from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.