Friends of the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain will pay tribute to him in a new “oral biography,” People magazine reports.
HarperCollins imprint Ecco will publish Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever this fall. The publisher calls the book “an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view into the life of Anthony Bourdain from the people who knew him best.”
Woolever is a journalist, chef, and podcaster who was Bourdain’s assistant for several years. The two co-authored two books, Appetites: A Cookbook and World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, which was published in April. She spoke with Bourdain’s family for the book, as well as to colleagues like Eric Ripert and José Andrés.
She told People that her book would tell “the full story of the man who seemed to have the greatest job, and the greatest life, in the world.”
“The stories, memories and insights shared within it, from Tony’s immediate family, childhood friends, college classmates, kitchen colleagues, television partners, and friends he picked up on his journey, will answer questions about who he really was, what motivated him, and how he chose to live his fascinating life,” she said.
Bourdain became one of the food world’s biggest celebrities after the publication of his first book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly in 2000, and was later known for his television series, A Cook’s Tour and No Reservations. He died of suicide in 2018.
Bourdain is slated for publication on Oct. 12.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
