Charlie Trotter's Auction: Items From Famed Restaurant Go On Sale Again

Famous Chef To Sell Restaurant, Piece By Piece
In this Tuesday Aug. 28, 2012 photo, award-winning chef Charlie Trotter, right, listens as his staff delivers a pre-dinner briefing at his restaurant in Chicago as his wife, Rochelle, looks on. Trotter is closing his iconic restaurant after 25 years to return to college and study philosophy. The final service at Charlie Trotter's is Thursday evening Aug. 30, followed by a sold-out meal prepared by some of the city's top chefs on Friday. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong)
In this Tuesday Aug. 28, 2012 photo, award-winning chef Charlie Trotter, right, listens as his staff delivers a pre-dinner briefing at his restaurant in Chicago as his wife, Rochelle, looks on. Trotter is closing his iconic restaurant after 25 years to return to college and study philosophy. The final service at Charlie Trotter's is Thursday evening Aug. 30, followed by a sold-out meal prepared by some of the city's top chefs on Friday. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong)

Items from Charlie Trotter's famed, now shuttered, Michelin-starred Chicago eatery are back on the auction block, months after Trotter halted an initial live auction in December when sales failed to live up to expectations.

It's unclear if this second auction, which went live online Thursday morning, will do any better. More than 700 items, ranging from a sub-zero wine cooler to original artwork by James Beard Award-winning photographer Tim Turner, are marked at bargain basement prices -- at least when you consider their historical significance and what they might cost on the open market.

Chicagoist points out that a listing for a Viennese secessionist settee is only $160, significantly less than its price at the first auction. Back in December, several Viennese secessionist chairs were up for dibs -- for a minimum bid of $200 to $400 each. A settee that sold for $2,000 was the highest priced of the bunch.

Among the best deals are those for china, cookware and tables -- opening bids are for $10, and there are currently no offers on many of them. The auction lasts until 5 p.m. on Feb. 25.

Trotter closed the lauded restaurant in August of 2012, citing a desire to travel and return to school. He plans to begin studying for a master's degree in philosophy at the University of Chicago this spring.

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