Book tribute to Anthony Bourdain set for publication in May

A book celebrating the life and career of Anthony Bourdain, the author, chef and television personality who died last June, will be published by Harper Collins imprint Ecco this spring, People magazine reported Monday.

“Anthony Bourdain Remembered,” which collects tributes and photographs honoring the late writer, was compiled by CNN, the network that was home to Bourdain’s series “Parts Unknown,” as a keepsake gift for his daughter. Bourdain’s estate decided to publish the book widely for his admirers.

The publisher’s web page for the book says it “brings together memories and anecdotes from fans reminiscing about Bourdain’s unique achievements and his enduring effect on their lives as well as comments from chefs, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, and writers inspired by Tony including Barack Obama, Eric Ripert, Jill Filipovic, Ken Burns, Questlove and José Andrés, among many others.”

Daniel Halpern, Ecco publisher and president, told People, “There isn’t a day that goes by when we don’t miss” the influential chef.

“ ‘Anthony Bourdain Remembered’ reminds me of the joy that he brought to everyone who knew him or watched him on-air as he moved in his particular way around the globe,” Halpern said. “It is the perfect memento for those of us who, through his shows, came to know the others who inhabit our planet — and an homage to the world’s most beloved traveler.”

Bourdain began his career as a chef, working most notably at the Manhattan restaurant Brasserie Les Halles, before becoming a breakout literary star in 2000 with his bestselling memoir “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.”

He followed that up with two other food-themed nonfiction books, “A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal,” published in 2001, and”The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones,” released in 2006.

Bourdain became a national celebrity with his television shows “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown” but continued his writing career, publishing cookbooks and comic books throughout the last years of his life. His last book, a graphic fiction anthology called “Hungry Ghosts,” was published by Berger Books in October.

Bourdain took his own life in a hotel room in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France, last June. He was 61.

“Anthony Bourdain Remembered” is slated for publication on May 28.