The Unusual Job Anthony Bourdain Had Before Becoming ... Anthony Bourdain

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Anthony Bourdain has always had a way with words, but his writing didn't always surround cooking. Before he was giving his unfiltered opinions on all things food and the restaurant industry, Anthony Bourdain was penning mysteries. In 1995, five years before his iconic debut of "Kitchen Confidential," Bourdain published his very first crime-fiction novel. Titled "Bone in the Throat," the suspenseful novel takes readers into the mafia world via stereotypical kitchen mayhem. The restaurants that NYC recognized during the time were fancy, elite, and special. It was nothing like the gritty, raw scene that Bourdain depicted on the page. The plot may be fabricated, but Bourdain's suspenseful fiction often feels like a satirical piece of work, looking at the chaotic instability of the restaurant industry. 

They say write about what you know, and Bourdain did just that. While he embellished his stories with haunting betrayal and assassins, the setting remained in the restaurant, where Bourdain spent countless nights as executive chef. Despite his standout voice and writing skills, being published by Villard Books wasn't enough to kick off Bourdain's creative writing career in the mid-'90s. Many didn't even know his name until his famous New Yorker essay, "Don't Eat Before Reading This," was published in 1999. The lack of fame didn't slow Bourdain down. In 1997, he released his second, slightly less intense crime thriller, "Gone Bamboo," about a Caribbean vacation amongst couples gone awry when hit men come into play. It's sleazy in all the right ways and follows a classic, suspenseful format that feels very of the time. 

With his newfound recognition, Bourdain jumped right back into a restaurant-set thriller, pumping out his third and final piece of crime fiction, "The Bobby Gold Stories," in 2001. The vignette-style novel follows a down-on-his-luck ex-con and a talented chef as they try to outrun the law. The stories are lean and stylish, filled with the kind of clipped dialogue and fatalistic humor that define classic noir. Published after fame found him, the book is an intriguing look at the writer he might have continued to be if the food world hadn't claimed him completely. By the time Bourdain published "The Bobby Gold Stories," he was no longer an unknown chef but a full-blown literary success and emerging TV personality.

Understandably, Bourdain's career as a mystery novelist is often overshadowed by the juggernaut of his later success, but this early body of work is more than a footnote. His early novelist days reveal a budding storyteller who already understood the complexities of commercial kitchens, but just working in one wasn't enough to fulfill his creative spirit. Working in the kitchen certainly taught him one thing. The most interesting characters are rarely, if ever, the most polished. 

While these novels didn't see much action when they first came out, they, of course, are coveted today, given Bourdain's well-earned fandom. Bourdain taught us so many cooking lessons, but he also taught us how to travel, experience new cultures, and really appreciate flavor.