Monterey County’s service industry professionals reckon with the loss of Anthony Bourdain.

The book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly changed things. Its pages told of more than the impulse that leads a person to slurp down an oyster and taste the far reaches of the sea. It documented more than a chef’s career. It exposed more than the pirate crew of unique, twisted, driven and talented people serving in kitchens and dining rooms and bars. Kitchen Confidential introduced us to passion, frustration, failure, success, addiction and camaraderie, challenging us to approach all without fear.

The television series No Reservations changed things. It roamed through palaces and back alleys, through food stalls and fine kitchens. It introduced us to foods and cultures that were unfamiliar and made it evident that people around the world share in the same story. In No Reservations were moments of discomfort and pain, joy and beauty – all of which made different people and culture and food recognizable, things we should welcome without fear.

Anthony Bourdain changed people.

His death at 61 on June 8 by suicide stunned the world, and Monterey County’s restaurant community. Some had met him. Almost all were inspired by his work. The Weekly reached out and asked them to share what Bourdain – his life and our loss – meant, in their words.

– Dave Faries

He was a personal advocate of conquering demons. Depression and dealing with addictions have been a huge part of my life and my history. Knowing that Bourdain started from the bottom, worked his way to the top, through many dark years of struggle and addiction, and persevered through all the dark times – all of this encompassed Bourdain to be this inspiration and personal hero in our industry. Knowing that after all the success stories and triumph through addiction, it still came to this. It is a very difficult reality that has to set in.

– Danny Leach, chef de cuisine, Folktale Winery

You’d be hard-pressed to find a young cook in America that didn’t aspire to be Anthony Bourdain. In my days of working the line, he was something of a patron saint to all of us; simultaneously making our current positions more respected, and giving us something for which to aspire. He made us all feel like pirates and rock stars. He was the light at the end of a long tunnel that’s beset with impossible hours, hot kitchens, screaming chefs and stacks of dirty dishes. Many restaurateurs, including myself, have him to thank for teaching the general public the joys of being adventurous when it comes to food, to try something new, to experience different cultures through their cuisine. People keep asking me if I was “surprised” when I found out. Everyone I know was deeply saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain, but for those of us working in this industry I think “surprised” would be a misnomer. Giving so much of yourself to the rest of the world as we do can be draining, physically and emotionally, and Bourdain gave everything he had.

– Travis Childers, chef and owner, The Cork & Plough

It hit us hard. He will always be a perfect representation of a culinary professional we respect and a human who likes to drink, eat and explore in non-perfect form. He was flawed and fearless. Watching him will always be motivating me to “do something.”

– Fabrice and Jennifer Roux, owners, Roux, Carmel Valley Chophouse and Fifi’s Bistro

I had a chance to meet and cook for him before. When I was at Incanto [in San Francisco] we did his show No Reservations for the San Francisco episode. It was like our Super Bowl that year. These past few days since I first got the news were pretty surreal and eye opening, thinking about how the grind has been on my own life, how I have evolved and adapted to the times, how life leaves marks on you. He taught me it was OK to be wrong! How unwise and small we really are in this world and the limitless possibilities it has to offer us. That you can learn something from almost anybody. To respect cultures and enjoy what they have to offer. I have never seen a man so loved by all since Anthony Bourdain. My whole [social media] feed was Bourdain, even from people I wouldn’t even think would be a fan.

– David Baron, executive chef, Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette

When he went to the Philippines and said that we had the best lechon, it made us Filipinos proud – proud of our culture and where we came from. He said Filipino food is the next big thing and he is right – there has been more interest in Filipino food, more than ever. He was real, he didn’t bullshit about kitchen life and a lot of people respected him because of his realness and honesty. We need more people like him in this world. He taught me to appreciate life for the beauty of it, to travel and explore, and most definitely to appreciate food in all aspects.

– Anna Marie Bayonito, chef de cuisine, Sticks

He didn’t glamorize the life of a “real” chef or line cook. He was very honest about what it’s like to work all day in a kitchen, prepare fancy food with immaculate presentation for guests, only to go home late to eat ramen, smoke cigarettes and drink beer.

– Salvatore Panzuto, sous chef, Cantinetta Luca

Before I started my culinary education and career, a chef suggested that I read Kitchen Confidential first. Because I followed his advice, Bourdain gave me my first real glimpse into kitchen life, and I am forever grateful for that. I felt he prepared me for it all… the good, the bad and the crazy. To this day, whenever I meet people about to enter the culinary world, I always suggest they read Kitchen Confidential. There was so much TRUTH to everything Bourdain said, and truth and honesty is something we can’t take for granted these days.

– Michelle Lee, sous chef, the C restaurant + bar

Kitchen Confidential came out while I was attending culinary school and I read his book along with my required textbooks as my first look into the restaurant industry. As my career continued, I followed his work in NYC and ate at Les Halles. I realized through Chef Bourdain that cooking is not just fulfilling a physical need – it teaches us about culture, society and history. That to me will be his legacy: teaching us all the real importance of cooking and eating. Oh, and I had my best steak frites and béarnaise at Les Halles.

– Paul Corsentino, executive chef, The Sur House

First day of culinary school, my instructor saw that I had a deer in the headlights look. Asked me if I had ever been in a professional kitchen before. Told him that I was primarily front of house. He reached into his desk and grabbed a worn-out first edition of Kitchen Confidential. He told me to read it and decide if this was the life I wanted. I went home and read the book cover to cover that night. The next day I came back and said, “Yes, I want it.” Granted the evolution of my career went back to the bar, but that inspiration never left me. I still have that same book. When he was filming in San Francisco for The Layover, I had the opportunity to meet him and say thank you. He smiled and said just to keep pushing forward and enjoy what you make of life.

– Josh Perry, bar manager, Cultura Comida y Bebida

I was in a running-start college English class my senior year of high school and our assignment was to read and write about Kitchen Confidential. English was my least favorite subject, but this was by far the best assignment I had gotten, as I was already accepted to Le Cordon Bleu at this point. I had taken my first job in a restaurant at the time, prepping in the afternoon and hostessing at night. I was fascinated by the fast-paced, raw and vulgar back of the house since the front of the house was presented so elegantly. I continued on my path into the culinary world and have never forgotten the window Anthony Bourdain opened to me.

– Hollie Jackson, executive chef, La Crème Monterey

I love this quote from Kitchen Confidential: “Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t have.” Bourdain really told it like it is. Kitchen Confidential was the first book I read to be so honest about the highs and lows of this business.

– Matt Bolton, executive chef, the C restaurant + bar

The first useful tip I learned in culinary school was to read Kitchen Confidential. The culinary world isn’t what people see on the Food Network and a lot of people stop cooking professionally because of that. Anthony Bourdain was the type of chef that told it like it is, never sugarcoating. His work has taught me to stay humble, continue learning, and stay hungry.

– Karla Josephine Lino, kitchen supervisor, Sticks

He brought a lot of pride and dignity to people who work in the service industry. His humanity was infectious to watch. Food workers can be looked down upon. He shed light on that with comic genius, and the sense of an Indiana Jones-esque adventure. I am truly heartbroken.

– Quinn Thompson, executive chef, Il Grillo

It was horrible to hear. It’s especially difficult when you see the joy he brought to people. Through his storytelling and outlook on life I felt my excitement and enthusiasm for travel, culture, food and drink – he was able to take those passions and put them in a way everyone could relate to. He was enormously inspiring. His message resonates still.

– J.C. Hill, brewmaster, Alvarado Street Brewery & Grill

Anthony Bourdain was a person that comes around once in a lifetime.

A Poet… an ambassador of taste, style and creativity that is not learned, but a natural intuitiveness that blessed everyone in his wake.

We as chefs, writers, artists and human beings have lost immeasurably with Anthony’s tragic departure. He was for me, personally, a source of inspiration and professional integrity. He was a great man, and my heart and prayers go out to his loved ones.

Peaceful Journey Chef… we are much less without you

– Christopher Vacca, executive chef, Highlands Inn

Anthony Bourdain was a cook’s cook. He shed a positive and very real light upon our industry from the inside out. He was a role model for a generation of young cooks (myself included). For that we are collectively grateful.

– Jasper Ramirez, sous chef and butcher, The Meatery

As a young cook in the academy, Bourdain was my first lens into what the journey ahead might really be like, and the obstacles that hospitality folk actually come across. His books spurred me to dive into every nook and cranny in the city to find great food.

– James Anderson, executive chef, The Poke Lab

When I was a young cook with no money or experience, and a hunger for traveling and anything food related, Anthony Bourdain was a godsend. He connected me with the rest of the world from legendary fine dining restaurants to hard to find food stalls. I would not be the same cook I am today without him. In that respect, his influence is just as great as all the great mentors I had in my life. I presume that’s the same for cooks around the globe and that’s why it hurt so much to hear of his passing.

– Ki Chung, chef de cuisine, Aubergine

I met the man once and bummed a cigarette off him. He was nice, didn’t speak much really. I think he wasn’t in the mood, so I let him be and we smoked on the patio. When my mother read Kitchen Confidential, she called. She was scared of the career I was getting into. At that moment I knew I had to read the book. When I read it, the first 100 pages are the beginning of his culinary journey. His journey very much married mine and many other cooks in the world. I was in Vermont drunk, stoned, washing dishes or working the line; he was in Cape Cod. We both then went to culinary school and then worked in a big culinary city. At that point our similarities ended. He’s much cooler than me for sure. He was our “Most Interesting Man in The Kitchen.” So to see him go like he did is very sad. Really unbelievable.

– Thomas Snyder, executive chef, Estéban

Our industry lost true ambassador. Anthony was a brilliant star who will continue to shine in my heart and many many others forever. Tragic loss to society.

– Kim Solano, owner, Haute Enchilada

Anthony Bourdain’s passing has touched some many of us in the culinary world and reminded us of how fragile our mortality is. It was a sad day for so many of us who shared his insight and related to his stories. Anthony had a true, honest approach to food, enjoying many realms of flavors and cultures with out having trying to be extreme.

I remember vividly reading Kitchen Confidential and was immediately drawn to this individual. He unabashedly spoke about the some of real truths and ugly factors of working in French kitchens in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, having done my apprenticeship in a classic French kitchen. Finally someone spoke the truth and some how made some of hardships worth all the trouble, a comrade in arms.

I will truly miss his contribution to the culinary world and his gift of telling life’s story from the comfort of a restaurant or kitchen table.

– Paul “Scott” Blackerby, executive chef, Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa

Don’t just stay in your kitchen. Go out and eat someone’s cooking and their culture. He brought other cultures and foods to our homes and heart. Thanks, RIP Tony.

– Jay Madrid, sommelier, Il Grillo

Anthony Bourdain, man, what a terrible loss heard ‘round the world. He was someone I looked up to and respected, especially in our industry. He truly had a magnificent mind and made you think about things from a different perspective. He opened your eyes and mind to a plethora of things; whether that was seeing the kitchen through his eyes, or the way he would go into detail about his life, culture, and food.

When my boyfriend and I went to Chicago, two of the restaurants we went to, were on Anthony Bourdain’s ‘must visit’ lists. We are two people who appreciate food and experiences, and we were not disappointed. (Check out Girl & the Goat & The Publican in Chicago!) He would tell it like it is and didn’t hold back. He was fearless. He also made me laugh, as I am sure he did for most people.

His book, Kitchen Confidential, was one of the best I have read, and was so relatable. Being in the restaurant industry for the last 15 years, I certainly appreciated that book. It didn’t matter that I was Front of House, and he was speaking from a Back of House perspective, if you work, or have worked in the industry, you just understood what he had to say. I have always admired Anthony Bourdain, and he will be missed, but never forgotten. I look forward to checking off items from his ‘must visit’ lists in the future. He certainly created a name for himself that will continue to live on for years to come.

– Colleen Balzano, bar & spirits manager, Tarpy’s Roadhouse

AB was a cook’s chef: He knew what made us tick, he understood us because he was one of us. He had what most chefs forget at one time or another and that is a sense of place, a home within him that he never let go. He was the world’s chef and could transport you from your living room to some of the most unsafe remote places on the planet and somehow make you want to spend a weekend there. There will always be cooks and chefs but there was only one Tony and he will be missed by the world he created.

– Matthew Beaudin, executive chef, Monterey Bay Aquarium

When Anthony Bourdain passed this last week, the whole world lost a close friend – or at least it felt that way. Bourdain’s influence reached much further than just the world of chefs: He was also able to instill his love of food and traveling into everyone he came in contact with through his books and shows. He was simply the realest dude out there in the food industry, no froufrou, he just told it how it was. It’s almost as if he served as an anchor for the culinary industry. I obsessed over an episode of his covering the food scene in Lisbon, last summer a couple of us went through Portugal following his lead. Needless to say they were up there with the top meals I’ve ever had.

– Klaus Georis, chef-owner, La Carte Blanche Supper Club

Last Friday’s news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing left those of us in the food industry devastated, dismayed and somehow feeling as if we had all tragically lost the chief of the tribe, our collective voice and a man who fought to make us all just a little more tolerant and human. Upon reflection, the all too familiar signs were there: depression, addiction, and the manic pattern of many creative thinkers, writers, artists and musicians. AB, as we called him, was admittedly not a great chef. However, he was an unparalleled storyteller who was able to put the perfectly raw and real words together to explain what it is really like to live the life of line cooks, dishwashers, prep people and yes, even great chefs He made us all proud to be in our much maligned business. He gave us the “street cred” we previously lacked. Our parents had warned us, if we didn’t stay in school and get a college degree we’d “end up” working in – horror upon horrors – a restaurant. Anthony Bourdain, through his brilliant writing and his humorous, wry, intelligent and insightful narration of his television series not only confirmed their worst nightmares on the business in his book Kitchen Confidential, but later showed the joy and humanity of the glorious gratification of feeding people, dining with our misunderstood world neighbors and the art of bringing together vastly different cultures by breaking bread together. Sadly, his final act was not one that we should aspire to emulate or glorify. Suicide is far too prevalent within our industry and society in general. Why are we missing and/or ignoring the signs? Where do we turn to find the necessary help for our friends, family and colleagues. Why is it still a taboo in our society to discuss and expose? And finally, why isn’t Anthony Bourdain still here to walk us all through the pain and anguish that we are suffering?

His voice and wisdom will be sorely missed.

– Dorothy Maras, culinary event director, Coastal Luxury Management

As a young chef, the Bourdain stories always made me want to learn so much more about the food I was making and working with. It’s the kind of thing that pushed me to continue to grow as a chef, and I’m grateful for the curiosity it instilled in me.

– Aaron Rayor, executive chef, Cantinetta Luca

I remember reading Kitchen Confidential on a bus in Vancouver, Canada, in 2002. It was so good I missed my stop! I stayed on the bus and kept reading – I just could not put it down. I think like so many other chefs he was a source for travel, interesting foods, and just plain great raw talent.

– Justin Cogley, executive chef, Aubergine

Thank Anthony Bourdain for stepping up the common-sense bar when it comes to foreign food, especially Asian cuisine. He’s helped the public realize there’s more to Japanese food than sushi. I have found a lot less people asking for orange chicken, fried rice, and egg rolls these days at the restaurant. He was one of my favorite teachers and he will continue to teach us from afar.

– Shiho Fukushima, general manager, Ocean Sushi Deli