Chefs declare June 25 "Bourdain Day" about one year after Anthony Bourdain's death
Longtime friends of late chef and world traveler Anthony Bourdain are paying tribute to their fellow culinary connoisseur by declaring June 25 "Bourdain Day."
Bourdain died on June 8, 2018 by suicide in a hotel room in France. June 25, 2019 would have been his 63rd birthday. Chef Eric Ripert, who was with Bourdain during his final days, along with chef Jose Andres announced their plans to celebrate their friend on Twitter.
"Celebrating the Life, Legacy & Birthday of our Dear Friend Anthony!" Ripert tweeted. "Wherever U are & whoever UR with, join @chefjoseandres I & share your tributes & memories using #BourdainDay & wish Anthony Peace & Happy Birthday!" Ripert also tweeted a video, during which he and Andres cheers to Bourdain.
The chefs are encouraging fans to share the hashtag and spread the word about "Bourdain Day." Since the two chefs have drawn attention to the hashtag, it has been growing in popularity on Twitter — weeks ahead of Bourdain's birthday.
In an interview with CBS This Morning shortly after his friend's death, Ripert spoke about Bourdain's legacy. "Anthony was very curious by nature. Very respectful of cultures and he wanted to share with the public his discoveries," Ripert said about the "Parts Unknown" host.
"The idea was, do not be scared of traveling and do not be scared going to other countries and do not stay at the resort, do not stay at the hotel and eat the normal menu. Just go out, go in the street and engage with people. Try the food and learn the culture from that experience and I think he did really well in breaking walls, right, in between us and other countries that we sometimes are a bit scared or nervous to visit and that was really a great part of his legacy," Ripert said.
Both Ripert and Andres recently contributed to a book, "Anthony Bourdain Remembered," which includes memories and anecdotes from fellow chefs, journalists and friends – including Barack Obama and was released May 28.
