The written and broadcast legacy of Anthony Bourdain
ANTHONY Bourdain leaves behind a legacy in both print and broadcast. Following news of his death Friday, online tributes of his impact on the food and travel world described the chef, author and TV presenter as a fearless gamechanger who challenged, questioned and, most of all, inspired.
The project that famously started it all, was a 1999 article published in The New Yorker called “Don't Eat Before Reading This,” in which Bourdain, at the time executive chef of Brasseries Les Halles in Manhattan, spilled trade secrets about dining in New York.
Current New Yorker food writer Helen Rosner tweeted the title Friday, urging her followers to revisit the story that “...changed everything, changed everything, for everyone. It rocked an entire industry. Maybe several industries.”
The story would lead to a 2000 bestseller “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” which likewise took readers behind the scenes of New York's sometimes seedy, often raucous and questionably sanitary restaurant culture, with his signature black humor, wit and sharp elegance.
Here's a look at some of the pivotal works that helped catapult Bourdain's career and earn him a worldwide following:
Writing
“Don't Eat Before Reading This” The New Yorker, 1999
“Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly” 2000
“Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook” 2010
“A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines” 2002
“The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trims, Scraps and Bones” 2006
“Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook” 2004
“Appetites: A Cookbook” 2016
Television
“A Cook's Tour” 2002-2003 on The Food Network
“No Reservations” 2005-2012, Travel Channel
“The Layover” 2011-2013, Travel Channel
“Parts Unknown,” CNN 20132018