Anthony Bourdain was born in New York City, but the noted author, television personality and food aficionado had an affinity for Chicago. In an essay that accompanied a Chicago-based episode of his CNN series Parts Unknown, Bourdain wrote, “You wake up in Chicago, pull back the curtain and you KNOW where you are. You could be nowhere else. You are in a big, brash, muscular, broad shouldered motherfuckin’ city.” Bourdain waited in line at Hot Doug's, changed his opinion about deep dish pizza after a visit to Burt's Place in Morton Grove and loved visiting the Old Town Ale House—he was as close to an honorary Chicagoan as you can get.
This morning, when CNN reported that Bourdain had taken his own life at the age of 61, tributes from those who had been influenced by his work began to pour in. Chicago chefs, some of who interacted with Bourdain when he taped episodes of Parts Unknown, No Reservations and The Layover in the city, were among the individuals who expressed their grief over his untimely death via social media. Read on and you'll see just how much a New York chef-turned-television personality meant to Chicago's culinary community.
Graham Elliot (Gideon Sweet)
Anthony Bourdain 1956-2018 #RIP ~ a monumental loss; don’t know where to start. Speechless pic.twitter.com/slhff4IHfj
— GRAHAM ELLIOT (@grahamelliot) June 8, 2018