At the Table with... - Season 2 Episode 8 Grant Achatz

Grant Achatz grew up in the family restaurant business in Michigan but now, as a world-famous chef, his food goes way beyond traditional. A molecular gastronomist, Grant is a bold experimenter with food ingredients and their form. He's renowned for his exquisite 25-course tasting menu at his restaurant Alinea in Chicago which Gourmet Magazine has hailed as the "Best Restaurant in America.? Grant knew as a teenager he wanted to become a chef and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He credits his mentor Thomas Keller (and a two-year stint at the renowned French Laundry) for giving him both the guidance and the freedom to pursue a truly original cuisine. Grant also recently recovered from the scare of his life: he was recently diagnosed with cancer of the mouth, which could have ended his career.