An exceptional embodiment of skill and talent was what the world found in Anthony Bourdain before his demise. He was a great man who knew how to mix spices and make them solid food. His shows were so thrilling that they could inspire one to change their careers and become a chef. This is just of the many testaments to how good the cooking legend was at what he did.
What is Anthony Bourdain Known For?
Anthony Bourdain was best known for his cooking skills. He was a celebrity chef, an author, travel documentarian, and television personality. He took his passion for cooking and culinary services steps higher than most expected. He once said his hunger for the kitchen was ignited during a family vacation to France.
He was born June 25, 1956, in New York City, to Pierre Bourdain (father) who was a classical music industry executive for Columbia records (he died in 1987), and Gladys Bourdain (mother) a staff editor for The New York Times. Bourdain grew up in Leonia, New Jersey and his only sibling, Christopher is a currency analyst and also a host in some TV shows.
During his lifetime, Tony had shown the world that kitchen service was one interest that does concern the world and he doesn’t believe it is for the womenfolk alone but can also be chosen by anyone to be a career or even a hobby. He attended The Culinary Institute of America, graduated in 1978 and spent years at Brassier Les Halles which folded up in 2017 due to financial issues.
Writing and TV Career
As a writer, Anthony Bourdain basically wrote books concerning food, but to mix it up and create a diversity, he wrote just two other fiction and historical fiction books. He wrote ‘Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly’, in the year 2000, and it became an immediate bestseller and his first ticket to worldwide fame. He soon followed up on the fame by organizing a food and world-travel television show titled ‘A Cook’s Tour’ which was the first of its kind and one of the best shows he ever hosted. It had 35 episodes which ran from 2002 till 2003.
In 2005, he started another show and became a host for Travel Chanel’s culinary adventure program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations which ran from 2005 till 2012. He also hosted ‘The Taste’ alongside his travelogue programming for CNN; Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. He appeared as a Guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef reality cooking competition, Episodes of Maimi Ink where he had his skull tattoo done.
Anthony wrote Medium Raw: ‘Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. The book was released in 2010 and the next year, he published a crime and fiction book and a graphic novel titled Get Jiro.
Why Did He Commit Suicide?
Certainly, the rate at which people commit suicide has increased drastically as the world population grows, but no one would have imagined that one of the world’s most celebrated chefs would end up taking his own life irrespective of his achievements and all the lives he had inspired.
June 8, 2018, was a black Friday for most of Anthony Bourdain’s fans when it came to light that he had committed suicide by hanging himself in his hotel room at Le Chambard Hotel in Kaysersberg, France. He was discovered by his best friend, Eric Ripert. So far, there have not been any concrete clues as to why the famous chef would want to end his life, no trace or note to suggest or give a hint to what prompted him to commit suicide.
He is survived by his only daughter Ariane who is 11 years old and was born to him by his second wife, Ottavia Busia after his first marriage failed.
Upon his death, a lot of commentaries have cropped up about the world-renowned chef, many described him as a happy and cheerful person, making it a mystery to why he would take his own life.
Personal Life
Tony was married for twenty years to his first wife, Nancy Putkoski before he divorced her and married his second wife, Ottavia Busia, who he also divorced in 2016.
The legendary cook never subscribed to any religion even though he was raised by a Jewish mother and a Catholic father. This perhaps explains the dent his public image had as many noted his addiction to certain substances like heroin, cocaine as well as alcohol, and cigarettes, even though he made an effort to quit smoking.
