BOURDAIN The Definitive Oral Biography

Laurie Woolever, a former assistant to Anthony Bourdain, gathered a lot of voices—the list takes up seven pages—to create this “oral biography,” voiced by some of those who knew the chef and TV travel host, who took his own life in 2018. The most memorable voice is that of Bourdain’s brother, Christopher, whose affection and wry humor show in his recollections. A tone of bluntness is not surprising when chefs who worked with Bourdain talk about the drug and alcohol abuse that helped shape his “bad boy” image; he acknowledged his own past in KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL. Listeners may be surprised as Bourdain’s story becomes darker through his TV years. People who worked with him express concern and regret about the spiral they saw during his relationship with director Asia Argento. J.A.S. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]