Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef

With rare intensity and candor, world-renowned, Michelin-starred Chef Curtis Duffy shares his epic journey from child of an outlaw biker father to famed culinary iconoclast. Fans of no holds-barred stories such as Motley Crue’s The Dirt, memoirs by celebrity chefs, and brutally honest personal memoirs will love this raw and inspiring true story.

“Chef Curtis Duffy's Fireproof is like Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential meets Sons of Anarchy.”

—Peter Blauner, New York Times bestselling author of The Intruder

Fireproof charts Chef Curtis Duffy’s rise in spite of trauma, to being mentored by and recognized among the world’s top chefs. Amid childhood chaos in rural Ohio, a young Duffy first found refuge in Home Ec class, then at one of Columbus’s best restaurants, where he honed his skills. His passion ignited, Duffy was dead set on leaving Ohio and breaking the Duffy family curse.

But the tragic deaths of his parents jeopardized his promising trajectories. Summoning extraordinary fortitude, Duffy ate pain, graduated culinary school, and moved to Chicago to work in Chef Charlie Trotter’s kitchen—a hotbed of talent that produced prominent alumni such as Grant Achatz, Graham Elliot, and Homaro Cantu. Inspired by stellar peers and staging for Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, Duffy’s drive only grew.

His meteoric rise would cost him a marriage—the price of ambition, focus, and Grace restaurant. Grace earned three Michelin stars four years in a row, solidifying Duffy’s place as one of the world’s greatest culinary artists. But in a heartbreaking act of defiance, Duffy walked out after disputes with Grace’s owner.

Unstoppable, Duffy created Ever restaurant—a launch nearly derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Duffy persisted where many others would have resigned their craft, and Ever earned two Michelin stars from 2021-2024. Duffy was ranked one of the “50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining” in 2024 by the Robb Report.

Curtis Duffy is a Michelin-starred chef and co-owner of Ever and After in Chicago. With a career history in renowned restaurants Charlie Trotter’s, Trio, Alinea, and Avenues, Duffy rose to prominence for his precision, creativity, and leadership. He opened Grace in 2012, earning three Michelin stars four years running before closing in 2017. His culinary journey was featured in the 2015 documentary For Grace.

In 2020, Duffy launched Ever, which has earned two Michelin stars annually since its opening. He later debuted After, named one of Esquire’s 2023 Best Bars in America, and The Canvas by Ever, an upscale event space.

Duffy has received top honors including the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes(2016). He has appeared on Top Chef, Iron Chef, and The Bear, and serves on the advisory board of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. His memoir, Fireproof, will be released August 2025.

Jeremy Wagner is a guitarist, songwriter, and bestselling author. His debut novel The Armageddon Chord is the recipient of the Hiram Award and Barnes & Noble Top 10 paperback bestseller. His novel Rabid Heart was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award for Best Horror Novel, received an Independent Publisher's IPPY Award for both Best Horror e-Book, and was a Next Generation Book Award finalist for Best Horror Novel. Wagner is releasing two books in 2025: including a new dark-crime novel Wretch and Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef with Chef Curtis Duffy. Living between Chicago and Miami with his wife Kym, Wagner has released several albums with his bands Broken Hope and Earthburner.