Chef and restaurateur Charlie Trotter on Wednesday put most of the remnants of his closed, world-famous Chicago restaurant up for auction. And, holding true to his reputation as something of a tempremental divo, bizarrely called the whole thing off about one-third of the way through.
According to Crain's Chicago Business, about 1,600 items -- including artwork, tables and chairs and one-of-a-kind Bernardaud China -- were set to hit the auction block Wednesday. But Trotter halted the action early after a series of bizarre incidents that began Tuesday when the chef kicked Mark Caro, a Chicago Tribune reporter, out of an auction preview.
On Wednesday, only about 10 percent of the items up for auction sold, according to the Tribune. By comparison, Trotter's famous wine collection beat estimates on the auction block only weeks before.
At one point during the auction, Trotter shoved an auctioneer, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, as he commented on photographs that once graced the walls of his restaurant: "Do you guys even know what this is? Of course you don’t.” If no one else wanted to bid on them, he offered to "f------ buy them myself." The Sun-Times' report documents further strange behavior.
It is not yet known whether the rest of the Trotter auction will be rescheduled. Trotter's restaurant closed on Aug. 31 after 25 years in business.
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