I woke up this morning, mentally bitched about my alarm going off and having to get out of bed, rolled over, grabbed my phone to turn off said alarm, and saw first the news notifications, second, the multitude of texts from friends, asking if I’d yet heard the news. (I had not.) In that moment, the world stood still.

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Rest Well Chef, You Changed The World While You Were Here.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I finally got around to reading Kitchen Confidential, and the accuracy, the humor, and the grit of it? It knocked me ass over teakettle backwards. I, like every other chef, line cook, expediter, and dishwasher saw myself in his words. He was real, and raw, and didn’t pull any punches. I laughed out loud as parts and passages, and irritated the living hell outta everyone in my life, reading passages out loud, and trying in vain to explain the relevance to those in my world who’d never worked (let alone stepped foot in) a working kitchen.

He spoke precisely and passionately about the failings of the industry—his own included—and the culture at large. He named names, he poked hives, and he charged at mountains. – Kat Kinsman, via Food & Wine.

Bourdain was (and will forever be) my culinary hero.

[bctt tweet=”Bourdain was the first to make it big simply by being himself. He truly gave no f*cks. #cookeatexplore #columbusohio #anthonybourdain” username=”Cookeatexplore”]

Bourdain was the first to make it big simply by being himself. He truly gave no f*cks. (If you’ve been around me at all in the last few months, you know this is something that I’ve embraced fully. And loudly.) Parts Unknown and No Reservations brought the world into reach, and into living rooms, bedrooms, basements and bars. His voice is instantly recognizable, his dry humor and self depreciating wit endeared him to so many.

He championed women on the lines, demanding that they (and everyone else) be treated equally, and with the respect that they earned. He changed the culinary landscape, and really, that of the world.

My social feeds today, have been filled with tributes, memories, and sadness. Chef, you changed the world while you were here, in more ways than you ever could have imagined. While the skies gained another star to sparkle and watch over us all, the earth is a darker place without you.