Michael Carlson

Michael Carlson (born June 5, 1974) is a chef and restaurateur from Chicago, Illinois. After dropping out of culinary school, Carlson got his start in the industry working under Paul Bartolotta. From there he studied abroad in Italy under Valentino Marcattilii, and in England under Heston Blumenthal. Carlson says he learned more from American chef Grant Achatz than anyone else.

In late 2005 Carlson opened his first restaurant – Schwa – in Chicago. He and the restaurant have received critical acclaim. Carlson is known for his "unstressed" approach to food, creating simple dishes from unconventional ingredients. Outsiders view Carlson as an inconsiderate recluse, but co-workers describe him as a kind and generous person. Carlson is known for his casual demeanor and conversation. He lives with his girlfriend, Rachel Brown, and his two-year-old daughter, Lily, in Logan Square.

Background Michael Carlson was born June 5, 1974, in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Chicago suburbs of Glen Ellyn and Lombard. The son of a financial planner father, Stan, and dental hygienist mother, Carlson describes his childhood as "normal". He does, however, remember his first encounter with gourmet cooking. At age 12, while staying at a fancy hotel in Quebec, he had duck with blueberries at the hotel's restaurant. He got his first professional cooking experience while working a local bar during college.

In 1998, after completing college Carlson enrolled at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) and got chef's position at Spiaggia under Paul Bartolotta. before moving to England to train under Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck. Financed by his father, Carlson opened Schwa in Lovitt's old location. By May 2006, Chicago magazine had made note of Carlson's rapid rise saying "We love his food – and his genuine sense of surprise at Schwa's success."

Schwa combines "unstressed", upscale food with a "laid-back atmosphere".

Anniversary celebration In October 2007, Carlson was invited to host many of the world's top chefs as part of Charlie Trotter's 20th anniversary celebration. He had to buy more plates and went virtually without sleep. Mike Sheerin summed it up: "It was really an amazing dinner." The customers quickly returned, as did the critic's praise, leading one observer to write "Forget Ratatouille. This is an Oscar-worthy redemption story. Are you listening, Hollywood?"

In 2009, Carlson was again asked by Trotter to host an evening of world-famous chefs. This time Trotter insisted on paying and Carlson survived the evening without incident. He was selected to appear on Iron Chef America, but declined to participate.

Approach to food and critical acclaim The Chicago Sun-Times describes Carlson's cooking style as "New American", and "high-tech chemistry". while Frommer's remarks "Carlson's sensory imagination sometimes rises to the level of sheer poetry."

In 2006, Food & Wine magazine named Carlson one of the year's top new chefs, remarking "he ingeniously combines a classic Italian cooking sensibility with avant-garde techniques." Also in 2006, Chicago magazine named him "Best Chef" in their annual "Best of the Best" feature. In 2007, he won the Jean Banchet Award for rising chef of the year. In 2008, Maxim described Chicago as "America's mecca for forward-looking cuisine," listing Carlson as one of four Chicago chefs driving cuisine forward. The magazine also listed Carlson's prosciutto consommé as a factor in naming Chicago the year's "Tastiest City".

Carlson has been nominated for top chef honors in the 2010 Jean Banchet Awards.

Business acumen Despite Carlson's abundant culinary skills, his restaurant Schwa has struggled to stay afloat. Carlson has described the restaurant as living "from paycheck to paycheck". This has been attributed to a complete lack of business acumen, and is a source of frustration for Achatz and Trotter. and that it allows him to be educated by the sophisticated customers who bring in their own wines. For a portion of 2007, Carlson even closed Schwa on Saturdays – traditionally the most profitable day for restaurants – to spend time with his family.

Part of the problem arises from Carlson's lack of focus on money and material possessions. "If he and I and our daughter were living in the woods, he'd be fine," his girlfriend Rachel Brown remarked. outsiders tend to view Michael Carlson as a recluse. They view him as inconsiderate and incapable of effective communication. Mobil Travel Guide describes him as "the enfant terrible of the Chicago dining world." Friends note that Carlson is technically inept and rarely answers his cell phone or emails.

Carlson's co-workers, however, adore him, and view him as a sort of mad genius, a wild chef with a compassionate heart. Fellow Chicago chef and friend Stephanie Izard remarks "You want to jump into his mind for a day. But you're also afraid you'll run away screaming... He sees things in different ways than anybody else. He's mind-churningly brilliant." Carlson's sous-chef Gaetano Nardulli describes him as "the nicest, most generous person I've met". Schwa chef Jonathan Ory says Carlson is a little nuts, but adds "what makes him nuts is that he's striving to be perfect." Carlson once told an eager young chef who could not afford to eat at Schwa "for you we have a discount price of zero, man."

Carlson is known for his unusually casual style of conversation which entails ending most sentences with "man." GQ magazine described him as "the last hipster dude". If he was not a chef, Carlson says he would be "the world-famous poker player with the cowboy hat and sunglasses sitting in the corner."

Carlson and his girlfriend Rachel Brown live in a three-bedroom apartment in Logan Square. The couple met through Brown's roommate, who was working for Carlson at the time. They have a two-year-old daughter named Lily and a Siberian Husky named Furious George. Carlson spends two hours playing with Lily each morning before he leaves for work, and describes those hours as the best part of his day.

Carlson lists former employee, and current sous-chef of Alinea, Nathan Klingbail as his best friend. Klingbail is the godfather of Lily.