Another chapter is beginning

AFTER BOWLES | Duffy's ready to make his mark at Avenues

When Curtis Duffy readied for his new gig as chef de cuisine at Avenues, the critically-acclaimed signature restaurant at the Peninsula Chicago, he packed tweezers.

But not for grooming.

Turns out the immaculately-groomed dark-haired, brown-eyed 32-year-old relies on the pinpoint precision of tweezers to create the artistry of his signature "thoughtful, progressive" cuisine.

Duffy's spontaneous masterpieces -- designed to be as visually appealing as palate pleasing -- showcase the untouched nature of ingredients. For example, his tasting menu format (four courses for $75, eight courses for $115 or 15 courses for $140) might include English Peas with Lemon Pudding, Prosciutto and Foraged Wild Lettuces; Wagyu Beef with Smoked Coconut, Crunchy Soy, Puffed Tapioca Pearls and African Blue Basil; Lamb Loin Poached in Tangerine Oil with Cured Black Olives, Greek Yogurt and Mint Oil Powder or Banana with Liquid Blueberry Orb, Sweet Madras Curry, Banana Noodles and Lemon Balm.

The passionate chef views his kitchen as a playground. "I'm constantly looking at everything as inspiration. I take a normal ingredient and look at it creatively with a different angle," explains Duffy, who is partial to Japanese and Thai flavors, is allergic to shrimp, and disdains green bell peppers.

Though a rookie to the hotel culinary scene, Duffy scoffs at being intimidated by filling the shoes of prestigious Graham Elliot Bowles, who bolstered the international and national reputation of Avenues during his four-year tenure, before departing 12 weeks ago to open his own restaurant, Graham Elliott, in River North.

It was, in fact, Bowles who contacted Duffy about the Avenues opening and sat with Duffy, over coffee, discussing its pros and cons.

"The way I look at it: Avenues is a storybook. David [Hayden] was the chapter before Elliott, and now we're closing Elliott's chapter. The storyline just gets better and better. This is a new chapter for Avenues -- it's as if we've shut the doors and reopened with a new concept and new food," reasons Duffy, basking in the golden glow of the posh restaurant overlooking the Mag Mile and Water Tower.

Duffy's confidence is supported by his resume and his relationship with purveyors of the industry's highest quality ingredients. Most recently, he was chef de cuisine at Alinea, working for Owner/Chef Grant Achatz since 2004. Duffy also was pastry chef for Achatz at Trio from 2003 to 2004 and worked at Charlie Trotter's from 2000 to 2003. Not bad experience for someone whose introduction to the restaurant business was as a dishwasher at age 14 in a mom-and-pop Greek restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.

What hooked him on being a chef? "The instant gratification of a guest's reaction to what I created," replies Duffy, a chef in a private club on a Jack Nicklaus golf course in Columbus before coming to Chicago.

"I came to Chicago and never left -- I got sucked in by this city and its great restaurants," confesses Duffy, who had every intention of working in Chicago for a short stint and returning to Columbus where investors had a restaurant planned for him.

The trim 205-pound 6-footer, who works out five days a week (lifting weights for an hour each time) to maintain the stamina needed for his 70- to 80-hour work week, lives in Wrigleyville with his wife, Kimberly, and 2-year-old daughter, Ava. He enjoys family time, shopping, movies and riding bikes -- and, yes, he cooks at home, usually preparing healthy dishes with grains or chicken in advance for his wife to reheat.

It's a storybook life for Curtis Duffy -- dimples and all -- who is living it chapter by chapter, expecting a happy ending.

Sandy Thorn Clark is a Chicago-based free-lance writer.