At 44, Anthony Bourdain Published An Influential Work That Cooks Of All Ages Still Live By

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Anthony Bourdain was many things to many people, but one characteristic that struck a chord with many would-be artists and world travelers is that he was, in many ways, a late bloomer. Before he was a TV personality, drinking too much in Russia and eating mountains of seafood in Boston, he was a struggling writer and chef. After decades of grinding away in the New York restaurant scene, battling both addiction and the brutal demands of his chosen line of work, he finally got what is generally considered to be his big break in his mid-forties with the release of "Kitchen Confidential". This was actually Bourdain's third published book, but it was the first in which he was telling his own story, and clearly the world was hungry for what he had to say.

"I was forty-four years old when Kitchen Confidential hit," Bourdain wrote in another of his books, "Medium Raw", "and if there was ever a lucky break or better timing, I don't know about it. At forty-four, I was, as all cooks too long on the line must be, already in decline. You're not getting any faster— or smarter — as a cook after age thirty-seven ... You're basically done — or on your way to being done."

Given the degree to which this book changed Bourdain's life, it could certainly be seen as a stroke of luck — but it was also the product of plenty of striving on his behalf. Before this break, Bourdain wrote and published those two mystery novels centered around a chef that certainly bears some resemblance to the author — "Bone in the Throat" and "Gone Bamboo" — but they did not afford him the fame or success that he was looking for. That wouldn't arrive until he transitioned to nonfiction.

Success turned up all at once for Anthony Bourdain. At the same moment that his now-famous New Yorker piece, "Don't Eat Before Reading This," was passing across the editor's desk, he was contracted to write that first nonfiction book. For those who aren't familiar with this New Yorker essay, it was where bits of advice like avoiding ordering fish on Mondays first entered the collective mind. The story is often told as if this article led to "Kitchen Confidential" — a logical leap, as the essay's view into the dark, dank underbelly of the restaurant industry was essentially an amuse bouche of what he had in store for the longer work — but his book contract actually landed before the article went to print.

In "Kitchen Confidential", readers are given a first glimpse of both Bourdain's life and the brutal, shocking, and sometimes disgusting inner workings of the restaurant industry. In writing this book, Bourdain changed how the whole world perceived restaurants, but he also paid homage to the hard-working individuals who spend their whole lives sweating behind the scenes to keep us fed.

Anthony Bourdain's voice transformed over time as he saw the world and evolved. His career quickly ballooned from chef to writer to world traveler and television personality, with his next memoir and first TV show — both called "A Cook's Tour" — reaching audiences. From the start, he had a clear eye and a strong voice that he used to great effect, shining a light into dark corners, showing us things we needed to see, but making us laugh and stoking our wanderlust as he did. The man left behind an extensive body of work, but if you are trying to choose which Anthony Bourdain book to read first, this is it.