A Tribute to the King - 3 Years Later...

Tony Bourdain’s preferred dining - eating Pho in Vietnam. (courtesy of The New Yorker)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since that tragic day when Tony Bourdain took his life. The culinary world has not been the same since he left it and so many of us still miss him and feel the loss as much today as we did back then. Watching old episodes of his various shows, or his judging on Top Chef, or a host of other things he has appeared on is haunting and sad, and reminds me of our confusion about why he decided that life was no longer worth living. Despite that he was blinded by the fog of deep depression, it was clear that he still had so much to do and say. And as the world changed with the horror of COVID he would have had valuable views on how best to get through it. Some of his thoughts I would likely agree with; others maybe not. But all of it would have been important food for thought. There was so much more for Tony to discover — new, important things that millions would have wanted to hear about and see. But tragically he could not picture that.

There have been a few other culinary explorers since Tony’s passing who try in their own style to do what Tony did. But no one seems able to replace him with the same kind of spirit, insight and wit. He had a way of not just showing us places to visit and things to eat around the globe, but also of how to think about it all, and so much more. So on this third year of his passing I am reposting the words that came to me at the time of his death as another tribute to Tony and for others who, like me, continue to miss him with greater emotion than one might have expected. Rest Well, Tony, and I pray that by now you have somehow found the pieces that were missing in your life and that they bring you eternal peace.

June 8, 2018. I am so deeply saddened by the passing of Tony Bourdain. He was a special person who inspired so many food writers and culinary explorers, including me. Fearless to go anywhere, eat anything, meet everyone, Tony never minced his words or played nice to please his viewers. What he said was what he thought, both on and off the camera. His wry, sardonic perspective on the world was -- and remains -- the most authentic of any food expert I have ever known or read. He was a remarkable writer, teacher and the modern leader of global culinary discovery. This day marks a sudden void in the universe of food that, perhaps, will never be fully filled. Every food writer knows that no one could do what Tony did as well as he did it. No one. He was the gold standard to which all of us will always aspire. 
I cannot image the pain and sense of hopelessness that Tony must have been feeling, and hiding from others including his own daughter, friends and production crew whom he loved and valued so greatly. My heart breaks for his internal suffering even more than my immense sadness in his passing.... Rest in peace, Tony, I will miss you and forever think of you.