Many chefs from the city are in a state of shock after Anthony Bourdain sudden demise. “Anthony Bourdain was an inspiration growing up. He made me fall in love with food and culture. I remember one of his quotes that struck me the most, and I still use it while recruiting people, is about how skills can be taught but character you either have it or you don’t. I loved how he explored unknown places, sought out the local food in those regions and gave his audience a taste of the parts of the world they had never seen. Even Barack Obama spoke about how Anthony had made him fall in love with cheap beer, plastic stools and bowl of ramen,” reminiscences Chef Francis Fernandes, Head of Pastry, ITC Kohenur.
Bourdain’s books were like the Bible for aspiring chefs and home cooks. Many, who wanted to enter the world of culinary arts, had a book written by the celebrity chef. “I used to read his books more than watching his shows. And what I loved about Anthony Bourdain was his approach to show behind-the-scenes of cooking. The frsutration that chefs and cooks go through, the lives of chefs that people usually never see. Anthony brought all of that to the forefront. Very few celebrity chefs showed the hardships that we go through and yet make it look entertaining. The industry is definitely going to miss this unspoken spokesperson,” says Mandaar Sukhtankar, Corporate Chef, Windmills Craftworks.
