Anthony Bourdain That Rare Oyster

Anthony Bourdain  was literally the epitome of at bon vivant  a good liver. He took life and food by the horns , opening up our eyes and palates. he was definitely one of a kind.

Maybe it was his French blood that made him adore food , his father's family was from Bordeaux or his mother's gutsy American attitude that emboldened him with trying different cuisines. It left him with a passion for the bold and adventurous. This kid from Leonia ,New Jersey tried the world's wildest and most sophisticated dishes , while still being true to his roots. he may have  featured the best restaurants  but also highlighted Hiram's Hot Dogs in nearby Fort Lee. His interest  in food started when he was on a family holiday  in France when he tried an oyster for the first time on an oyster boat. He went to Vassar and worked at seafood restaurants in Provincetown Mass. he dropped out of Vassar and since loved cooking, enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America or the CIA. after graduation in 1978, he ran the top restaurants of the day, Sullivan's, the Supper Club and One Fifth Avenue. His biggest break was when he became the executive chef at the glamourous Les Halles restaurant in Manhattan.

His television career started with Kitchen Confidential in 2000 after he published a book of the same name. His second book, A Cook's Tour in 2001, hit the New York Times' best sellers list. It was about his food and cooking exploits. In 2006 he shot the TV show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. It had one memorable scene in which the Israel-Lebanon conflict happened during filming in Beirut. There was footage of him with Hezbollah supporters along with being holed up with expatriates in the hotel. Two other shows followed. One was The Layover on the Food Channel and the other was the no holds barred.Parts Unknown. This last was wildly popular as he garnered former president Obama as a guest during a trip to Vietnam. Bourdain also took the show to Libya, Tokyo, Punjab, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Armenia. Audiences, especially foodies, loved it, his daringness to try bizarre foods and his love of travel. He also made it to The Simpsons as well as on Inked where he got a tattoo in the episode. He also produced and starred in the movie about food waste called. Wasted:The Story Of Food Waste.

Anthony Bourdain was one of  a kind, an unusual dish to be savored.  There will never be one quite like him. He was one of a kind - that rare oyster with the amazing flavor.