The Candy Anthony Bourdain Always (Jokingly) Requested To Be Kept Off Filming Locations

Anthony Bourdain was known for his deadpan humor and honest approach to food. Whether describing an airport burger as "soul-destroying" or airing his aversion to pumpkin spice lattes, the man had a way with words. Producer Tom Vitale recalled Bourdain's endearing remarks that at times required some nuance to understand — like when Bourdain would joke he didn't want to see red M&M's while filming or working. 

As told to Newsweek, Vitale first met Bourdain in 2002. He worked as a post-producer in 2005 on "No Reservations" until he became a producer in 2006, and would accompany Bourdain on various excursions. Vitale counted taking 81 trips in total to film different series with Bourdain. "No two trips were ever the same; there was no manual, guidelines or rules," he wrote.

Though Vitale portrays Bourdain as a demanding personality, he insists it was to maintain a certain standard for the show. "Tony would always joke about himself in the third person like; 'The talent is requesting no red M&M's!' A joke, because he was very low maintenance in that way," he recalled.

Bourdain's quip wasn't only uttered to Vitale. In a conversation with Kristine Kierzek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bourdain made a similar remark about the colorful candy pieces when asked if he had any backstage food requests. "I'm nervous before these things, so I don't really eat before," he told Kierzek. "I don't need the red M&M's removed or anything. I don't have an entourage or groupies," he added. Bourdain's reference to red M&M's may have alluded to other celebrity requests, like Van Halen famously asking for brown M&M's to be removed from candy bowls. 

Though such an ask may seem over the top, there is speculation that this level of detail was used to check the thoroughness of producers and the attentiveness of the staff hired to work at events. Other celebrity preferences for backstage food items include Grace Jones asking for closed oysters so she could shuck them herself and Eminem requesting Lunchables. Though Bourdain didn't have complicated riders for filming and public appearances, he made his preferences for food known in plenty of other ways.