Anthony Michael Bourdain: June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018
“Enthusiast. Frequent flyer. Used to cook for a living.”
(Trigger Warning: Suicide)
The Obituary: Anthony Bourdain, Renegade Chef Who Reported From the World’s Tables, Is Dead at 61
Anthony Bourdain, whose darkly funny memoir about life in New York City restaurant kitchens made him a celebrity chef and touched off his second career as a journalist, food expert and social activist, was found dead on Friday in his hotel room in France. He was 61.
His death was being treated as a suicide. Christian de Rocquigny du Fayel, the prosecutor for the city of Colmar, in the Alsace region near where Mr. Bourdain was found, said the death was by hanging. “At this stage, we have no reason to suspect foul play,” he said.
Mr. Bourdain’s lasting work was not in American kitchens; it was on television, where he ate noodles in Hanoi with President Barack Obama, sucked on soft-boiled turtle eggs at a market stall in Colombia, and stopped to appreciate handmade spring rolls in Cambodia en route to interview a member of the opposition government.
In his 2000 memoir, “Kitchen Confidential,” Mr. Bourdain introduced a thrillingly profane, aggressively truthful voice that translated effortlessly to the screen, where he proved that he would eat anything, go anywhere and say anything on camera. His early public persona — the macho, unrepentant, drug-loving chef — evolved into that of a clear-eyed crusader for global food justice.
Recently, Mr. Bourdain had emerged as a leading male voice in support of the #MeToo movement, in the wake of rape and abuse allegations against the film producer Harvey Weinstein, notably in support of his girlfriend, the Italian actor Asia Argento.
Mr. Bourdain had traveled to the Alsace region, near France’s border with Germany, with a television production crew to record an episode of his show “Parts Unknown” on CNN, the network said. He was staying at Le Chambard, a luxury hotel in the village of Kaysersberg. “It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague,” CNN said in a statement.
His mother, Gladys Bourdain, who was a longtime editor at The New York Times, said she had no indication that Mr. Bourdain might have been thinking of suicide. “He is absolutely the last person in the world I would have ever dreamed would do something like this,” Ms. Bourdain said.
“Anthony was a dear friend,” Eric Ripert, a celebrity chef and restaurateur who appeared with Mr. Bourdain on numerous episodes of his shows and was traveling with him at the time of his death, said in a statement. “He was an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous. One of the great storytellers of our time who connected with so many. I wish him peace. My love and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones.”
Ms. Bourdain said Mr. Ripert had told her that “Tony had been in a dark mood these past couple of days,” but she had no idea why he might have decided to kill himself. “He had everything,” she said. “Success beyond his wildest dreams. Money beyond his wildest dreams.”
Mr. Bourdain spent more than two decades in professional kitchens, first shucking oysters and washing dishes in a Cape Cod seafood shack and later cooking in high-end Manhattan kitchens, before accepting a friend’s offer to fly him to Mexico if he agreed to write a novel.
It was the start of his second act.
He wrote two novels while working as an executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles before sending an unsolicited article to The New Yorker about the dark side of the restaurant world and its deceptions.
To his surprise, the magazine accepted it and ran it. The article eventually became “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” a memoir that elevated Mr. Bourdain to a celebrity chef and a new career on TV.
“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds?” Mr. Bourdain wrote in the memoir. “Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.”
Mr. Bourdain became an instant hero to a certain breed of professional cook and restaurant-goer when “Kitchen Confidential” hit the best-seller lists. He is largely credited with defining an era of line cooks as warriors, exposing a kitchen culture in which drugs, drinking and long, brutal hours on the line in professional kitchens were both a badge of honor and a curse. Mr. Bourdain was open in his writing about his past addictions to heroin and cocaine.
“Kitchen Confidential” has sold more than a million copies in paperback and remains the defining memoir in the field. “His prose voice was instant and unmistakable,” said Daniel Halpern, the HarperCollins editor who became Mr. Bourdain’s friend, fellow eater and literary collaborator. “You can read out any sentence and know instantly who wrote it.”
In 2011, Mr. Bourdain, an omnivorous reader, began his own publishing imprint at HarperCollins, editing books by the chefs Roy Choi, Wylie Dufresne and Danny Bowien that were as unconventional as his own.
Before he joined CNN in 2012, he spent eight seasons as the host of “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, highlighting obscure cuisine and unknown restaurants. “No Reservations” largely focused on food and Mr. Bourdain himself. But on “Parts Unknown,” he turned the lens around, delving into different countries around the world and the people who lived in them. He explored politics and history with locals, often over plates of food and drinks.
Mr. Bourdain famously appeared with Mr. Obama on an episode of “Parts Unknown” in Vietnam in 2016. Over grilled pork, noodles and beers at a restaurant in Hanoi, they discussed Vietnamese-American relations, Mr. Obama’s final months in office and fatherhood.
“‘Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.’ This is how I’ll remember Tony,” Mr. Obama wrote in a Twitter post on Friday. “He taught us about food — but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him.”
Mr. Bourdain had been dating Ms. Argento. “Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did,” Ms. Argento wrote Friday on Twitter. “His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated.”
On Friday, people placed flowers and letters on the front door of the long-shuttered Les Halles on Park Avenue South, and celebrities in the food and entertainment worlds expressed deep shock and disbelief.
Nigella Lawson, the British cookbook author and television personality, wrote on Twitter, “Heartbroken to hear about Tony Bourdain’s death. Unbearable for his family and girlfriend.”
The Thoughts: Anthony Bourdain “hated” me but that’s ok. I love him.
Anthony Bourdain was many things, humble, authentic, and a bit-mmmm- surly? But all of that gave way to an ability to really inspire a curiosity and love for that which we look over or take for granted. Sadly, I didn’t appreciate Tony until recently because of his past quotes on his-ummmmm-dislike for vegans.
Luckily for me Anthony left behind a stunning piece of work, Kitchen Confidential. And, of course, numerous interviews where he reflected this novel. And so, with the luxury of his own hindsight, I devoured his book and came to the conclusion that I was deeply in love with this man, and I think that we could have had a wonderful conversation despite his absolute disgust for vegans.
I am, as always, at a loss for how I want to write all of this in a as few of words as possible, lest I write my own novel here. Maybe it’s that no matter how hard or tough we seem you can never really know what is inside our hearts? Maybe I am unsettled by the thought that someone who seemed to have it all, could still be struggling, leaving me to wonder what all my own work is leading towards. Anthony’s voice and passion for the human experience was beyond inspiring. He felt so real. It was as if he saw the world for what it really was. And maybe that’s what scares me. Maybe that’s what scared him.
I am left with so many questions about who Anthony was, and only memoirs and interviews to piece it all together. Ultimately his absence leaves a hunger in me that will never be filled. A growling, gnawing at my own existence and thirst for life.
The Recipe:
This post is inspired by two different last meals with Anthony. There is the one he wished he could have had, as documented in Melanie Dunea’s, My Last Supper, which is roast bone marrow with parsley and caper salad, with a few toasted slices of baguette and some good sea salt, all washed down with a pour of a perfect Guinness at St. John.
Then there is the last documented meal he had in his real life, a huge cut of pork on a mound of sauerkraut, bratwurst, and potatoes.
Obviously the man loved his meat. And well, being a site that features plant based recipes I know this is going to seem like we are at odds with one another on what I can provide here. But I think I’ve got a great solution below that’s a beat of cheater recipe today.
Photo Courtesy of Craft BeeringBeer Braised Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Schwabischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian Potato Salad)
Ingredients
(1-2 packs) Beyond Meat Sausage
1 tbsp non-dairy butter
3 medium red or sweet onions
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp thyme (fresh picked leaves or dried), more to garnish (optional)
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika or smoked paprika (optional)
12 oz dark, malty German lager (bock, doppelbock, dunkel, Vienna lager, Oktoberfest lager)
1 cup beef stock (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Beef Base)
1 Jar Sauerkraut
Sausage Directions:
Place a 10-12 inch skillet over medium-high heat stove. In about 2 minutes add the oil and brown the brats, about 1-2 minutes per side, or until they are nicely colored. Remove them from the skillet and set them aside temporarily.
Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onions, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper and paprika, stir and let cook down until onions are soft and just beginning to caramelize (about 6-8 minutes).
Pour the beer over the softened onions, stir, scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the beef stock and stir. Add the brats back and make sure they are nicely submerged. Simmer until beer sauce has reduced and the brats are fully cooked (160 F° internal temp recommended).
Serve on a bed of sauerkraut.
Photo Courtesy of Curious CuisinièreSchwabischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian Potato Salad)
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
¼ c beef broth (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Beef Base)
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
½ onion, diced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil or sunflower oil
Fresh chives or dill for garnish (optional)
Directions
Place whole, peeled potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until just barely fork tender (10 - 15 min).
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them cool slightly.
While the potatoes are cooling, mix the hot beef broth, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and white pepper together in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium low heat.
By now, the potatoes should be cool enough to handle. Slice them into ¼ inch slices and place the sliced potatoes into a medium bowl. Add the onions and hot beef broth mixture. Mix well.
Cover the bowl and let the potatoes stand for 1 hour to absorb the flavors.
Once the potatoes have rested, add the oil and mix well.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for 12-24 hours to let the flavors come together. Remove the potato salad from the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving to allow it to come to room temperature.
Sources:
Buchanan, Brett: Anthony Bourdain’s Last Big Meal Revealed, Alternative Nation
Taylor, Tom: The Instagram Memorial of Anthony Bourdain, Grub Street
Perrine, Milena: Beer Braised Bratwurst, Craft Beering
Nelson, Cadry: Vegan Bratwurst, Cadry’s Kitchen
Schwabischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian Potato Salad), Curious Cuisinière