Life Imitates Art: Anthony Bourdain
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“If you're twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel—as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on the floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them—wherever you go.” – Anthony Bourdain
American chef, author, and television icon Anthony Bourdain graced the hearts of people worldwide. At a young age, while away from his home in New Jersey, Bourdain fell in love with food when he tasted French cuisine for the first time. This passion carried him throughout his life and schooling at the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, he was able to achieve the cooking high life, with his career peaking as the Executive Chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City, as well as its other locations.
Bourdain’s career took a turn when he took an interest in writing. His first major piece was a column in The New Yorker, titled “Don’t Eat Before You Read This.” The nature of Bourdain’s straight forward writing style, coupled with how revealing the article was on the cooking world, was a major cause for uproar in the restaurant community. The article heavily focused on the dismay and disturbing aspects of kitchens as well as the mental taxation on employees.
With Bourdain’s cooking career coming to a close, he devoted the rest of his life to writing and journaling on travel, culture, and food. In 2000,Bourdain released a hit memoir, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. It was a major success, as it was an adaptation on his already highly esteemed news article. It exposed more of the inner workings of the kitchen as well as added his own personal values and experiences from working as a chef.
Bourdain's writing established him as an outlier journalist: someone who didn't have a problem spreading his ideas and saying things how he saw it. His writing morphed into television fame, with the release of A Cook’s Tour (2002-2003), in which he focused on local cuisine and the important roles it plays in our lives. In 2005, the show was adapted into a longer feature length series, with similar topics, titled Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
As Anthony Bourdain gained fame and recognition in a variety of fields and was able to make many guest appearances. From cohost for cook shows to cameos in The Simpsons, it is no doubt that Bourdain’s popularity had spiked to an all time high; he wasa media personality like no other. In 2005, he released yet another travel show called The Layover.It was similar to the previous two, but included longer stays at a larger variety of locations. The last series he worked on was Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown; the series finale aired posthumously in November of 2018.
On June 8, 2018, Anthony Bourdain, a chef, a writer, and an inspiration to all, committed suicide whilst filming his show in France. There is no doubt that Bourdain played a big role in many people's lives. Through his shows and writing, he inspired millions. As a final note, and as Bourdain would want: travel as far as you can, see the world, and make every moment last.
References
Augustyn, A., & Myhrvold, N. (2025, October 3). Anthony Bourdain | Biography, Books, TV Shows, & Facts. Britannica. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Bourdain
Diamond, J. (2022, November 9th). The Cold, Distasteful Story Within the ‘Unauthorized’ Anthony Bourdain Biography. bon appetit. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/unauthorized-anthony-bourdain-biography-review?srsltid=AfmBOorJhOifF76Sl2sZBOkSI2vP9K0PZTTfQErimsiBUP533z7lwpuX
