Anthony Bourdain

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Anthony Bourdain : biography

June 25, 1956 –

In describing the line, Bourdain said, "This will be a line of books for people with strong voices who are good at something – who speak with authority. Discern nothing from this initial list – other than a general affection for people who cook food and like food. The ability to kick people in the head is just as compelling to us – as long as that’s coupled with an ability to vividly describe the experience. We are just as intent on crossing genres as we are enthusiastic about our first three authors. It only gets weirder from here."

Early life and education

Anthony Bourdain was born in New York City, to Gladys and Pierre Bourdain (d. 1987).[https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JKV5-7Z7 P Bourdain, "United States Social Security Death Index"] He grew up in Leonia, New Jersey, and attended the Dwight-Englewood School.Mack, Patricia. , The Record (Bergen County), October 25, 2000. Accessed March 30, 2011. "Anthony Bourdain, the Leonia native with the French-sounding name, took a leave from his job as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City." Bourdain’s paternal grandparents were French; his paternal grandfather emigrated from Arcachon to New York following World War I.http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2012/05/anthony-bourdain-fathers-day.html Bourdain’s mother worked for The New York Times as a staff editor. Bourdain graduated from Englewood School for Boys in 1973 and attended Vassar College before dropping out after two years; he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978.

Interests and advocacy

Bourdain is an advocate for communicating the value and tastiness of traditional or "peasant" foods, including specifically all of the varietal bits and unused animal parts not usually eaten by affluent, 21st-century US citizens.Bourdain, Anthony (2006). The Nasty Bits. New York: Bloomsbury. Bourdain has also consistently noted and championed the high quality and deliciousness of freshly prepared street food in other countries – especially developing countries – as compared to fast food chains in the U.S.Bourdain, Anthony (2001). A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal. New York: Bloomsbury.

Bourdain often acknowledges and champions the industrious Spanish-speaking immigrants – often from Mexico or Ecuador – who make up a majority of the chefs and cooks in many U.S. restaurants, including upscale restaurants, regardless of cuisine.Master chef Douglas Rodriguez, on the July 8, 2009 episode of Top Chef Masters, stated that 60% of restaurant kitchen workers in the U.S. are Latinos. Bourdain considers them to be talented chefs and invaluable cooks, underpaid and unrecognized even though they have become the backbone of the U.S. restaurant industry.Bourdain, Anthony (2001). A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal. New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 200–217.Bourdain, Anthony (2006). The Nasty Bits. New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 42–46.

Sources

  • , Updated ed., New York: Harper Perennial (January 9, 2007).
  • on TravelChannel.com