Curtis Duffy: Reaching the Stars

The Restaurant Guys

The Banter

The Guys are alarmed to find out how some folks are flavoring their beverage..and so is the Board of Health.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys get deep with chef Curtis Duffy, who received Michelin stars for his restaurants Grace and Ever in Chicago. Curtis shares his story, how he leads his team and what keeps him striving for excellence.

The Inside Track

The Guys highly recommend you watch the movie For Grace about the opening of Curtis’s restaurant Grace. The three find plenty to talk about being lifers in a challenging industry. This is how Curtis handles every day.

“My daily drive and my daily vision was to be better than what I was yesterday. And I pushed the team and led the team that way. That was always my commitment to the restaurant. We have to be better. We have to be better,” Curtis Duffy on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

Curtis Duffy began his career in Chicago working under chef Charlie Trotter then later chef Grant Achatz. Curtis became head chef at Avenues, which earned two Michelin stars after his arrival. He and Michael Muser opened Grace in Chicago in 2012. In 2013, the Robb Report named Grace the best restaurant in the world. Grace earned three stars in the Michelin Guide four years in a row. The James Beard Foundation named Duffy Best Chef, Great Lakes in 2016. In 2020, Duffy and Muser opened Ever restaurant which was awarded two Michelin stars in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2022, he opened After lounge, and the following year Esquire named After one of the Best Bars in America.

Curtis has appeared in numerous television shows such as Top Chef, Top Chef: Colorado, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. A couple of episodes of The Bear were filmed inside his restaurant Ever and Curtis made and plated the dishes that appear in season 2 episode 7.

Chef Duffy's journey is chronicled in the acclaimed documentary For Grace highlighting his rise from adversity to culinary greatness.

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