The First Food Anthony Bourdain Ever Enjoyed Was This Classic French Soup

Anthony Bourdain got his first job in the food industry at just 17 years old, but his love affair with food began even earlier. It was the summer after fourth grade, and Bourdain was on a family cruise to France. A waiter brought him a bowl of vichyssoise, and with just one bite of the chilled French soup, Bourdain's future in the culinary arts began to take shape. 

It was the first time a young Bourdain had ever encountered a cold soup, and he was instantly intrigued. Bourdain recounts the story in his influential book "Kitchen Confidential," saying that the vichyssoise he ate on the Queen Mary was the first food he ever remembered enjoying. "It resonated, waking me up, making me aware of my tongue, and in some way, preparing me for future events," writes Bourdain.

Vichyssoise is a chilled cream soup made with potatoes, leeks, and onions. Chef Louis Diat, who worked as a head chef at New York's Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the early 1900s, is credited with first creating the soup. However, Diat says his recipe for vichyssoise was inspired by the potato and leek soups his mother used to make for him when he was a child in Vichy, France (hence the origin of the soup's name).

During his tenure as executive chef at Manhattan's Brasserie Les Halles, Bourdain served vichyssoise to throngs of diners who wanted to enjoy authentic French cuisine. But the magic of vichyssoise was never lost to Bourdain, even after he made it thousands of times. Although vichyssoise is a classic staple in French restaurants, it is not as intimidating to prepare as it sounds. 

With ingredients like potatoes, leeks, chives, chicken stock, butter, and heavy cream, vichyssoise is an accessible recipe for home cooks. If you want to keep your soup vegetarian, you can also use vegetable stock, like in this chilled vichyssoise recipe. While vichyssoise is traditionally served cold, you can also serve it room temperature or hot. 

Whatever temperature you prefer, getting a silky-smooth consistency for your vichyssoise is essential. In his 2004 cookbook, Bourdain suggests using a blender, and fans of his recipe say that you can also use newer kitchen gadgets such as Nutri-Bullets. You can serve the soup with crusty bread or croutons, or for a French twist, serve it with a baguette spread with brie.