Curtis Duffy
Curtis Duffy was born in Newark, Ohio, USA. Duffy attended Columbus State University and Licking County's Joint Vocational School.
Curtis Duffy is a restaurateur and chef known for Grace and Ever, Chicago based restaurants. He’s received a James Beard Award and Michelin stars.
Curtis started his career as a professional chef in 2000 working under Charlie Trotter in Chicago at his namesake restaurant. Curtis worked as a pastry chef in 2003 with Gran Achatz at Trio in Evanston, Illinois. He left Trio with Achatz to serve as Chef de cuisine at Alinea in Chicago in 2005.
He became head chef at Avenues, this restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel Chicago in 2009, which earned two Michelin stars in 2010.
Curtis was a judge on
Chicago Restaurant Pastry Competition from 2011 to 2014. He appeared as a guest judge in the season finale of
Top Chef: Colorado, and appeared in Netflix’s
Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend in 2022.
Episodes of The Bear were shot inside of Ever. These include season 2 episode 7 and the season 3 finale.
Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef charts Duffy’s rise in spite of trauma, to being mentored by and recognized by the world’s top chefs. Amid childhood chaos in rural Ohio, young Curtis found refuge first in his Home Ec class, then at one of Columbus’ best restaurants, where he honed his skills. Curtis, with his passion ignited, was dead set on leaving Ohio and breaking the Duffy family curse.
However the tragic deaths of his parents jeopardized his promising trajectories. Summoning up some extraordinary fortitude, Duffy ate pain, graduated from culinary school, and moved to Chicago to work at Chef Charlie Trotter’s kitchen. It was a hotbed of talent which produced prominent alumni such as Graham Elliot, Grant Achatz, and Homaro Cantu. Inspired by stellar peers and staging for Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, his drive just grew.
Duffy’s meteoric rise would cost him a marriage, the price of focus, ambition, and Grace restaurant. Grace earned 3 Michelin stars 4 years in a row, solidifying Curtis’ place as one of the world’s greatest culinary artists. However in a heartbreaking act of defiance, he walked out after some disputes with Grace’s owner.
Curtis, unstoppable, created Ever restaurant, with a launch that was nearly derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He persisted where so many others would’ve resigned their craft, and Ever earned 2 Michelin stars from 2021 to 2024. Curtis was named one of the “50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining” by the Robb Report.
Curtis Duffy: F.A.Q
Where was Curtis Duffy Born?
Curtis Duffy was born in Newark, Ohio, USA and is American.
What was the first book Curtis Duffy wrote?
The first book written by Curtis Duffy was Fireproof, published in 2025.
What was the most recent book Curtis Duffy wrote?
His most recently released work was Fireproof on August 5th, 2025.
Are there upcoming new books by Curtis Duffy?
Curtis Duffy does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
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How many books has Curtis Duffy written?
Curtis Duffy has written 1 book. All of his books are Non-Fiction Books.