Sad farewell to chef who truly inspired me

Charlie Trotter was the chef-owner of his eponymous restaurant in Chicago, USA. He closed his restaurant last year after 25 years in business.

Not only did he run his restaurant to the highest of standards and attract guests from all over the world; train and develop chefs who each went on to amazing things in their own right (including Grant Achatz – a chef I have a huge amount of respect for and has inspired me) but most impressively of all, he also managed to influence and inspire young chefs globally too.

And I'm proud to say I am one of those.

Charlie Trotter was a renowned perfectionist, although he didn't actually believe in perfection himself. He was once quoted saying 'Let's just say I'm an 'EXCELLENTIST' because perfection is an unattainable goal. Perfection isn't that interesting. It is more interesting to do things with sincerity and a certain quirkiness. With perfection there's no tolerance for failure, and there are enormous benefits to failure because of the valuable lessons they impart'.

I first learned about Charlie Trotter and his amazing restaurant and food style in the late 90s while working at a hotel.

Each evening after dinner service had finished and we had cleaned the kitchen, I would wait for the head chef to go home before sneaking into his office and sitting in his big swivel chair at his big desk. He had an amazing collection of cookbooks and each night I would read a different one and educate myself. Charlie Trotter's cookbooks are incredible.

They, like him, were very ahead of their time. I would be there into the night, engrossed in his world, until the night porter would come and tell me I probably should go home. I loved

Charlie Trotter's books so much and took so much inspiration from them I decided I had to have my own set of them.

I remember saving hard and every couple of months when I had saved enough I would treat myself to another one. They were £50 each which is a lot of money for a cookbook anyway, let alone the wage I was being paid.

Charlie Trotter influenced and inspired a generation of chefs around the world. May he rest in peace.

Will Holland is a multi-award winning Shropshire chef who earned a Michelin star before the age of 30. His new restaurant in Bridgnorth will open in spring 2014.