Anderson’s Bookshop Presents Curtis Duffy & Jeremy Wagner

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Curtis Duffy and Jeremy Wagner, to celebrate the release of Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef, on Monday, August 18th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Duffy and Wagner will be in conversation with acclaimed food critic Phil Vettel.

Event Format

We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the signing line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines:

• Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff
• There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated)
• There is a limit of 1 personalization of the new book only (unless otherwise stated)

All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the authors based on that number.

If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event.  We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that.

Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

More about Fireproof:

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.

About the Authors:

World-renowned, James Beard Award-winning, Michelin-starred chef, Curtis Duffy, was raised in Ohio. Duffy moved to Chicago to work for legendary chef, Charlie Trotter before becoming Chef de cuisine at Alinea. As head chef at Avenues, Duffy earned two Michelin stars. Duffy later opened Grace restaurant, earning three Michelin stars four years in a row. Duffy since opened Michelin-starred restaurant, Ever, and After lounge.

Netflix released For Grace—a documentary about Duffy creating Grace, the tragic loss of his parents, and becoming a critically acclaimed chef. Duffy has appeared on Top Chef, Iron Chef, and his dishes and Ever restaurant have been featured heavily in Hulu’s hit series, The Bear. Duffy volunteers for Chicago’s Banchet Awards, the Grand Chef’s Gala, and sits on the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts advisory board, where a $25,000 scholarship in his name is awarded.

Duffy lives between Chicago and Miami with his wife, Jennifer Duffy and their children. Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef is his first book.

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.
About the Conversation Partner:

Phil Vettel is an acclaimed journalist: Tribune Restaurant Critic for 32 years, recipient of the Illinois Restaurant Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2020), and the recipient of the Jean Banchet Award for Culinary Excellence (2023). He served for the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards committee for 11 years.

Through his reviews, he told stories with curiosity and integrity. In addition to his weekly review column, he also often wrote about key issues facing the hospitality industry, including moments of innovation, success, or – as in most recent times – tribulation. Through it all, he brought attention to Chicago as one of the nation’s finest culinary destinations. His enthusiasm and love for Chicago’s restaurant industry is truly one of kind.