Why is Anthony Bourdain so Popular?

As a result of his best-selling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, he became a household name in 2000.

Cocaine, heroin, and LSD were just a few of the narcotics he writes about in his memoirs.

To capture his show’s unique perspective, the world-traveling chef spent more than 250 days of the year on the road.

His job sent him to places like Libya, Lebanon, and Gaza, all of which were extremely perilous.

In 2002, the Food Network aired his first show, A Cook’s Tour. He joined the Travel Channel with Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations three years later, and won two Emmy Awards for his work on the program.

His current show, Parts Unknown, premiered on CNN in 2013 and is now in its 11th season.

As he prepared to leave the White House, even former President Obama sought his advice.

If you have an important state function following, Bourdain advised, “you might not want to go too heavy on the garlic,” as the two guys had a short bite during a political summit in Vietnam.

Former university roommate offered him free vacation to Cozumel, Mexico, in exchange for a promise that he would return with enough material to start writing.

While working as a chef at Sullivan’s on Broadway Avenue in New York City, he wrote his first novel, Bone in the Throat, a satirical crime novel.