Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain (Anthony Michael Bourdain) was born on June 25th, 1956. Anthony passed away June 8th, 2018 at 61 years old. Anthony Bourdain was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Bourdain attended Vassar College and The Culinary Institute of America.

Anthony Bourdain was an author, celebrity chef, and travel documentarian. Anthony starred in programs that focused on the exploration of international cuisine, culture, and the human condition.

His love of food was kindled during his youth when his family were on vacation in France when he tried his very first oyster from a fisherman’s boat. Working at seafood restaurants in Provincetown, Massachusetts (including the Lobster Pot) while he was attending Vassar inspired him to pursue a cooking career.

Anthony was a veteran of numerous professional kitchens (including many years spent as an executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan) and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. During the late 90s, he penned this essay about the ugly secrets of this Manhattan restaurant, however was having a tough time getting it published.

Gladys (his mom) was an editor and writer at the New York Times, gave his essay to Esther B. Fein (a fellow editor and friend) who is the wife of David Remnick (editor of The New Yorker). He ran Anthony’s essay, which kickstarted his career and legitimizing the point blank tone which became his trademark. A bestselling book followed the next year, called Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.

Anthony became a media darling almost immediately. He hosted shows such as A Cook’s Tour for the Food Network for 35 episodes. From 2005 to 2012 he hosted Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and the Layover (2011-2013). Then he jumped to CNN in order to host Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

Besides writing nonfiction, he also published 2 novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo. They were culinary mysteries, and neither one of them sold too well.

Kitchen Confidential is based on an article the New Yorker published called “Don’t Eat Before You Read This”, by Anthony, who was a little known chef at the time. He spared nobody’s appetite while he revealed what really happens behind the kitchen door. The article was a sensation, and the book it spawned, now considered a classic became an even larger sensation, a mega-bestseller with more than 1 million copies in print. Addictively acerbic, frankly confessional, and utterly unsparing, he pulls no punches in a memoir of his years in the restaurant business.

Fans are sure to love returning to such a delectably shocking and deliciously funny banquet of wild-yet-true stories of life in the culinary trade from Anthony, as he lays out his over quarter century of sex, drugs, and haute cuisine.

Anthony Bourdain: Awards & Accolades

Bourdain's book, Appetites was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Food and Cookbooks, in 2016.

Anthony Bourdain: Lists & Other Mentions

• Kitchen Confidential has made several lists including:
  1. New York Times: #1 Nonfiction Best Seller in 2018.
  2. Amazon US: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014.
  3. People Magazine: Best Books From the 2000s Selection in 2024.
  4. Waterstones: The Books You've Always Meant to Read Selection in 2020.
  5. Refinery29: The Ultimate Book Bucket List Selection in 2023.

Related Authors

Fans of Anthony Bourdain also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
3. Ray Bradbury, author of: Fahrenheit 451.
4. George Orwell, author of: 1984.
5. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.

Anthony Bourdain: F.A.Q