See the Intimate Photos and Tributes Anthony Bourdain's Close Friends Shared in New Book

In Anthony Bourdain Remembered — a new book originally created as a keepsake for Bourdain’s daughter, Ariane — hundreds of fans and some famous friends honor the late chef. See those from Barack Obama, Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert and more.

“‘Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.’ This is how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food—but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him.”

— pictured in Hanoi, Vietnam 

“Anthony was my best friend. He was an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous. One of the great storytellers of our time who connected with so many around the world on a level rarely seen. He brought us all on some incredible journeys.”

— pictured with chef Masa Takayama in New York City

“His passion for cooking, writing, and his hunger for adventure were inspiring. We will always have Lyon and those days of eating like kings together … his passionate character and true honesty will be missed across the industry and the world.”

— pictured in Lyon, France

“Tony was able to see what we are not able to see. He could give importance to things that many of us took for granted. And that’s the beauty of Tony—with just a stroke of a phrase he could make you think about something in ways you never thought possible.

In the end, I saw that it was not so much me showing him the region where I was born, which is an important part of myself. At the end of the day, he was showing it to me, and that’s beautiful.”

— pictured in Asturias, Spain

“He didn’t buy hypocrisy or think that we should do things because they’re politically convenient. You saw it on every episode: He would go to a country and talk about the colonial days in postcolonial countries or who the ruling junta was. He’d give you that in the first fifteen, twenty seconds of each episode.

Food is part of culture, and culture is part of people’s history and idenity and what they’ve gone through. He understood that, and I loved that about him.”

— pictured in Dilijan, Armenia

“In 2013 I spent two days with Anthony Bourdain, showing him around Jerusalem. The conversations were brilliant and the meals were delicious. I quickly realized that I was talking to a man with an incredibly intuitive understanding of very complicated situations. He took nothing as a given. Everything was questioned, discussed, debated. He understood how important it is to get to know individuals, instead of simply taking the official line we’re always given. 

Jerusalem gets its fair share of visitors. They listen to the same stories, get the same narrative. For Tony, this was never enough. When the show came out, covering Israel, and the West Bank, and Gaza, you could immediately tell that this was no ordinary visitor. He visits Gaza, meets Jewish settlers in the West Bank, turns over every stone, and ends up telling a complex and very human story. This was his strength, and it shows how brilliant Tony was as a storyteller.”

— pictured in Jerusalem

“Tony was a caring, democratic soul who extolled and enjoyed equally the simple street cookng of Mexico and the three-star cooking of the best French restaurant.”

— pictured in New York City

“He was authentic well before it became a brand strategy.

His personal arc of redemption and career evolution was inspiring. As a fan, I just enjoyed watching that growth.

He just gave all of us, who may have felt like just a simple good-for-nothing cook, hope. He will be missed, and is irreplaceable.” 

— Bourdain pictured in Port of Spain, Trinidad

“The thing about Tony was that he wasn’t the kind of traveler who centered things around what he knew. He didn’t say, ‘Let me know you what’s really happening here.’ He said, ‘Watchin me go through this experience and maybe we’ll both learn something together … ‘

I was—and still am—in awe of him. It is one thing to be an experienced and gracious world traveler. It is another thing to be a writer who can seemingly easily, humorously, and profoundly sum up the human experience. And it is a completely different thing to make television. Tony did all these things. Oh yeah, he was a great cook, too …

He was far more than just the host of a popular TV show. He was a singular force in the universe for good and for good times.”

— pictured in Nairobi, Kenya