CNN announced the passing of celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain on June 8th, 2018.
The beloved television personality died in an apparent suicide inside of his Strasbourg,
France hotel room at the age of 61.
The network's statement read, in part:
"His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories
of the world made him a unique storyteller.
His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much."
The New Jersey native's journey to global fame began in 2000 with the release of his
autobiography, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.
He went on to host a string of successful food and travel shows, including the Emmy-winning
No Reservations on the Travel Channel, and CNN's Parts Unknown.
As celebrities and fans remember all of the wonderful moments the outspoken host served
up, here are a few stories you may not know about Anthony Bourdain.
Life-changing oyster
Kitchen Confidential detailed a childhood trip to France, where his family was invited
on a boat by an oyster fisherman.
It was on that boat that Anthony tasted his first-ever oyster - and he was never the same.
Bourdain wrote,
"I took it in my hand, tilted the shell back into my mouth as instructed by the by now
beaming [fisherman], and with one bite and a slurp, wolfed it down.
It tasted of seawater, [...] brine and flesh […] and somehow […] of the future."
Humble beginnings
In an interview with The Guardian, the Bourdain said he first found happiness in an unlikely
place.
The chef said his first job as dishwasher at a restaurant in Cape Cod made him feel,
quote, "intensely satisfied."
Bourdain said the "factory-like environment" of the job brought him a sense of contentment.
"Dishes had to go in the washer and come out taintless and doing this swiftly and competently
meant I was acknowledged as a human being by colleagues I wanted to be like."
It wasn't just the acknowledgement that brought him joy.
Bourdain told Fresh Air,
"You had to be there on time.
There were certain absolute rules.
And for whatever reason, I responded to that.
It was a mix of chaos but also considerable order that I guess I needed at the time."
His hero
Bourdain's idol isn't a fellow chef.
Instead, that honor belongs to his friend and punk rock legend, Iggy Pop.
Bourdain told First We Feast that he's been a fan since Iggy Pop's early days, saying,
"He has been an enormous hero of mine since the first Stooges album, the soundtrack to
the good and bad times of my life."
The two sparked a friendship that included Iggy Pop making appearances on various Bourdain-hosted
shows, including an episode of Parts Unknown that features the pals sharing a meal in Miami.
They even interviewed each other for a piece published by GQ magazine, that discussed their
own mortality, Twitter trolls, and much more.
His harshest critic
When he wasn't traveling more than 200 days per year for his CNN hosting duties, Bourdain
would spend quality time with his daughter, Ariane.
Bourdain even co-wrote a cookbook in 2016 titled Appetites: A Cookbook, which featured
all of the meals he enjoyed preparing for Ariane.
In an interview with The Takeout, Bourdain said his daughter was a "very harsh critic,"
despite how much he loved whipping up her favorite dishes.
"You know, I put a tiny tiny little bit of nutmeg in my macaroni and cheese and she did
not enjoy that.
She called me on it right away."
Twitter legend
Bourdain joined Twitter in 2008, describing himself as simply an "enthusiast" in his bio.
The prolific tweeter took his followers along on his culinary adventures, sharing photos
and videos from his travels and links to some of his favorite songs.
What began as a way for him to stay connected to his followers culminated with Bourdain
being crowned one of the social media platform's best Twitter feeds of 2013 by Time magazine.
During an interview with Travel and Leisure, Bourdain revealed that he'd decided to personally
craft and post each and every tweet.
He called the platform's character limit "exciting and fun," saying,
"It's a whole different language, and I can use it as a means to get immediate feedback
from fans or to vent outrage."
"Free" at 60
First We Feast was granted an exclusive interview ahead of the TV personality's 60th birthday.
He was asked if facing such a monumental birthday was terrifying.
Bourdain replied,
"I'm pretty happy being a distinguished motherf--ker.
The extent to which I'm free of expectations, you know, I enjoy that.
The extent to which I can glide through life unnoticed is nice, too.
It's freeing."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call or chat online with
the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).