"Fireproof" charts Chef @curtisduffy.bsky.social 's rise, in spite of trauma, to being mentored by and recognized among the world’s top chefs. Join us next week when he'll be here to celebrate his memoir! Tix: DuffyBBS.eventbrite.com

Fireproof is a USA Today bestselling book! @jeremyxwagner and I did this our way, and we're so proud of the book and the teams that came together to make this happen. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in sharing my story. #FireproofMemoir

Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef, my life story, is on sale today and available wherever books are sold. #FireproofMemoir

Thank you @reginagarzamitchell! Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

I can't believe my memoir Fireproof goes on sale in 10 days. Really looking forward to sharing it with you guys. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

Grateful for the incredible words from the legendary @ericripert. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

I’ve always relied on the @thechefsgarden_ohio for my produce. I’ve been buying from them since ’92 and @farmerleejones is a dear friend.

Online... and in print. ow.ly/psne50WrfOW @kimseverson @nytimes @jeremyxwagner @deadskypublishing @everrestaurant @after_chicago @thecanvasbyever #FireproofMemoir

Huge thanks to the legendary @charbenante for the kind words. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

Moving to Chicago from Ohio allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a world-class chef, starting at Charlie Trotter's. You can learn all about what I went through to get to where I am today in my memoir written with @jeremyxwagner, on sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. Preorder at the link in bio

Great to meet so many awesome librarians and share my story with @jeremyxwagner at #ALAAC25 @americanlibraryassociation in the @ipgbook booth this weekend.

Huge thanks to the legendary @charbenante for the kind words. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

If I could cook for anyone today it would be my parents. I would love to have them experience the result of my drive, the hard work ethic that they saw me embrace at a young age.

Thank you for the kind words @brianslagel. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

Thanks to @chuckbilly of @testamentofficial for the endorsement. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

When I'm creating a dish at Ever, it starts with the conceptualization on paper, and then it goes from that to exploring as many possibilities with that ingredient as possible.

Ever is the continuous voice to build a restaurant amongst the best in the world. It first has to start within the four walls of Ever every single day. If it's just one little detail that we focus on a week, that one little detail makes us better in the long run.

Huge thanks @mikebordin. Preorder #FireproofMemoir at the link in my bio. On sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. @jeremyxwagner

I was such a young kid in the kitchen when I was working at Charlie Trotter's. I was just in awe to be there. Charlie forced you to think in a different way about getting better every day. It's really up to you to be better.

For me, the greatest thing I can give my teammates is complete self composure.

Thank you man, @joel.mciver. Preorder #FireproofMemoir, on sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing at the link in my bio. @jeremyxwagner

Every season, we want to make sure it's different than what we did last year. I've never wanted to be known for a specific dish, replicated every year, and very mundane.

Thank you, @drandallblythe. Get your copy of #FireproofMemoir, on sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing at the link in my bio. @jeremyxwagner

Grateful, thank you @paulstanleylive. #FireproofMemoir is on sale 8/5 from @deadskypublishing. Get your copy at the link in my bio. @jeremyxwagner

One thing I love remembering about my mom is her laugh and how she always tried to lighten the mood—which was heavy and dark in our house.

Thanks, Peter Blauner #FireproofMemoir is on sale 8/5 from Dead Sky Publishing. Pre-order at my link in bio.

Low notes strike the palate at the back of the mouth. These are the warm, homey, rooted, and heavy flavors—cinnamon, beans, smoky spices, mushrooms, nutmeg, and the seared red meats that make you totally salivate at the slightest whiff or sound of the sizzle.

The advice that I give to aspiring chefs or to those who are interested in being a restauranteur is to get into a restaurant and see if they really love it.

I’ve always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I often reflect back on those moments and I always refer back to the same question, which is: Would I be where I am today had this not happened to me? Photo credit: Michael Muser

With Ever and now After, my voice as a chef is just as strong as it’s always been. Photo credit: Michael Muser

One of my happy kitchen times is being able to create food during the day. I don’t like to sit behind a desk or in front of a computer.

The four pillars of any restaurant experience in my opinion are: ambience, service, cuisine, and the wine program. They're all equally important. If the food outshines the service; it’s unbalanced.

I always say to my cooks: “You have a responsibility for greatness.” That’s something that I’ve always lived by. That responsibility is yours and no one else’s and you owe it to yourself.

Respect for the ingredient is everything. What good foods come down to is quality, fresh ingredients. If you use average ingredients, you’re gonna make average dishes. Just a little bit of effort in what you buy for your recipes makes all the difference. Photo credit: Michael Muser

Put your head down and learn the craft. Learn everything you possibly can about what you’re doing in this business. Try to be the best at it but also, follow what you want to do in life from within, and not from a monetary standpoint. Photo credit: Michael Muser

My dad Bear and I could bond over motorcycles and ride together...We could build a bike together or something, you know? I wish he were here to do that.

In life and in food. Photo credit: Michael Muser

There are humble beginnings for most of us who are successful in the food industry because we must work just to survive.

I try to cancel out all noise, all distractions. It helps me focus and get to where I'm going. Photo Credit: Michael Muser

When you’re a kid who keeps getting pushed to the edge of the abyss, you can only dream that some adult might glide in and be a hero. I’m lucky that that happened for me when it did, because in so many ways, that saved my life.

Anthony Bourdain was such a great voice, and he touched so many people in that way. I loved Bourdain for so many reasons. Now that Bourdain’s gone, his impact is heavier. He became an incredible, powerful voice for the food world.

Coconut is the ultimate luxury food. The different stages of coconut growth are each so amazing and delicious. And at every stage, all the flesh on the inside is edible. It fascinates me. Photo Credit: Michael Muser

When I was discovering and exploring my culinary creativity as a teenager, I was also learning that I could fine-tune tastes in a recipe. I was obsessed with flavor and with tweaking it to bring out the best.

Because of the way I was brought up, wanting to overcome the challenges that came with being my parents' son—wanting to make a good life, period—my parents gave me the fire in my belly to aspire. Photo credit: Michael Muser

Constantly tweaking something to a place where we’re happy with it is refinement—in food and life. Photo credit: Michael Muser

My family are my wings. #family

I use fennel often in new dishes. The fact that you can use the entire plant in different ways—bulb, stalk, fronds, blossoms, and seeds—is part of what piques my interest and part of what gives the perennial herb its value.

When I first started working in food, I was working at a diner in Johnstown, Ohio. Seeing the guests enjoying their meals, I felt like I was a part of something larger than myself—something good.

I’ve come to understand the complexities of taste and smell, and this has served me greatly with my approach to weave in the subtle nuances of flavor into my cuisine. Photo credit: Michael Muser

If you buy in to the mission of excellence, you start thinking that way, & everyone around you is thinking the same way. It becomes this beautiful culture of people wanting nothing more than to just get better every day. That's what working in a well-run kitchen is like. Photo credit: Michael Muser