CHICAGO (AP) – Award-winning chef Charlie Trotter is closing his iconic Chicago restaurant after 25 years, setting out on a new path as bold and surprising as many of the dishes he served to the world of foodie fans he helped foster.

At 52, he's going back to college to study philosophy.

"You can't do the same thing forever or your head just might blow up," Trotter told The Associated Press this week, rolling up the sleeves of his white chef's coat before one of the final dinners at the restaurant, Charlie Trotter's. "You can do what you do forever but you've also got to find ways to stimulate your mind."