The last of his kind Anthony Bourdain passed away at 61

All hands on deck, this is your Captain speaking. Today the world lost a great man, a Rock n Roll renegade chef who showed everyone that food from different cultures could talk to many whiles bring people together and show how familiar we all are in the end. It is with my most profound sincerity to inform you all that Anthony Bourdain passed away at the age of 61. CNN first reported of Bourdain’s death as a close friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert found Bourdain in his hotel room in France unresponsive and soon after pronounced dead. Later it was stated that he took his own life and this come days after fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead in her Manhattan apartment and it was ruled suicide as well. The link to CNN about everything you need to know about this man’s life and how he was called ” The Original Rock Star in the Culinary World.”

Bourdain came to fame in 2000 with his tell-all book “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” which was a behind the scenes look at the culinary industry thru the eyes of Bourdain himself. In 2002 he had his show on Food Network titled A Cook’s Tour, then soon after had two shows on the Travel Channel, No Reservation, and The Layover. In 2013 Bourdain went to CNN and hosted Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the show focused on food, culture, and politics for all over the word. During the show’s run in 2016, he had his now famous segment with then President Barack Obama eating in a small little place in Vietnam.

As a former pastry chef myself, I look up at Bourdain. He was Hendrix, Bowie, Mercury, Lennon, Prince, Dylan, Presley and Warhol in one. He had this aura around him which scream at you when you are around him. I had the chance to meet him at SDCCI for his book signing of “Get Jiro!” in 2012. We talk about his book and food and when I told him I was a pastry chef he said to me.

“There are no such things as a former chef, in the end, we are all chefs no matter if its at home or in the industry”. – Anthony Bourdain

He laughs and I did too, and it made me think, but no matter what in the end, I’m still a chef, just at home and not in the industry. I tip my hat to you, Anthony Bourdain, you will be missed and you were the only one of your kind. Barack Obama said this on Twitter about Bourdain

“Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.” This is how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food- but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him. – Barack Obama

If you have friends, family, loved ones, even yourself who battles depression of any kind there is all kinds of help out there for everyone. Suicide is not a joke at all, and no one should handle or deal with this alone. Here are some recommendations for getting help and information that can save a life.

International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)

https://www.iasp.info/

Befrienders Worldwide volunteer actions to prevent suicide

https://www.befrienders.org/

Crisis Text Line

https://www.crisistextline.org/

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

https://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

To end this, here is my favorite video of Bourdain talking about In and Out Burgers, a place to many Californians we love with a passion, next to our California Burritos and our many local holes in the wall joints. And with that, Goodbye Chef, you may be gone but never forgotten. That is all Crew you are dismissed