Anthony Bourdain American chef and author of numerous books on cooking Date of Birth: 25.06.1956 Country: USA

Biography of Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Michael Bourdain was born on June 25, 1956, at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He spent most of his childhood in Leonia, New Jersey. Bourdain has French roots, as his grandfather immigrated to New York from France after World War II.

Bourdain studied at Vassar College and then enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in 1978. He developed a passion for cooking when he caught his first oyster during a family trip to France. While studying at Vassar College, Bourdain also worked at the "Provincetown" restaurant, where he solidified his decision to pursue a career in the culinary world.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Bourdain worked at various restaurants in New York City, including "Supper Club," "One Fifth Avenue," and "Sullivan's," before embarking on his travels around the world.

In 2000, Bourdain collaborated with the "New York Times" to release the bestseller "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly," which catapulted him to fame. A year later, he wrote and published another bestseller, "A Cook's Tour."

Bourdain's essays and articles have been featured in numerous publications, including "The New Yorker," "The New York Times," "The Times," "The Los Angeles Times," "The Observer," "Gourmet," "Maxim," "Esquire UK," "Scotland on Sunday," "The Face," "Food Arts," "Limb by Limb," "BlackBook," "The Independent," "Best Life," "the Financial Times," and "Town & Country."

In 2006, Bourdain released the book "The Nasty Bits," which compiled his best articles and essays on not only culinary topics but also social life. He has also authored other books such as "Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook," "Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo," "Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical," and "No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach."

Bourdain's television career took off in July 2005 when the Travel Channel premiered his show "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations." That same year, Fox Channel aired a comedic series called "Kitchen Confidential" based on Bourdain's book. In 2008, Bourdain began hosting the show "At the Table with Anthony Bourdain" on the Travel Channel. He has also appeared as a judge on the cooking competition show "Top Chef" on Bravo.

Bourdain is known for his adventurous taste in food, often preparing exotic dishes such as ants, alligator, and black chicken.

In his book, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly," Bourdain publicly admitted to using cocaine, heroin, and LSD. He described how it was common practice to cut food with heroin during his time working at a trendy Soho restaurant in 1981. While it was fashionable at the time, Bourdain also revealed that he sold his belongings to buy his next fix. He is open about his heavy smoking habit and has no plans to quit anytime soon.