Anthony Bourdain Only Published 2 Cookbooks In His Lifetime

Anthony Bourdain was one of the most influential chefs throughout American history. Beloved for his reverence for global cuisine and his gift for straight talking, the author and TV personality was also blessed with oodles of charisma. However, it was his way with words that led to the skyrocketing success of his bestselling memoir "Kitchen Confidential," which later inspired a TV series of the same name starring Bradley Cooper. Bourdain wrote several non-fiction books in the years that followed, including "A Cook's Tour," "The Nasty Bits," and "No Reservations," but he published only two dedicated cookbooks in his lifetime, despite being trained at the Culinary Institute of America.

One of the things you might not know about Anthony Bourdain is that the basis for his memoir, published in 2000, came from a viral "New Yorker" article he'd written the year before (catchily headlined "Don't eat before reading this," the piece is still available to view online). It was actually four years after this that his first cookbook, titled "Les Halles Cookbook," was released. This practical collection featured classic bistro recipes, such as roasted veal short ribs and steak frites, but was also peppered with Bourdain's characteristic wit and honest-to-the-bone asides. Named after the French brasserie-style restaurant in Manhattan where Bourdain worked as an executive chef, "Les Halles" was packed with hearty recipes and was as useful as it was entertaining. His second cookbook, called "Appetites," had a more casual vibe.

Anthony Bourdain released "Appetites" in 2016 (it was co-authored by writer and editor Laurie Woolever, who also worked with American chef Mario Batali). Some of the more relaxed recipes included pulled pork and potato salad, but the book featured everything from cozy Italian dishes to Vietnamese street food and American pancakes. Bourdain became a father at 50 and was often tasked with flipping pancakes at his daughter's sleepovers, which is why the publication includes tidbits on classic family meals like mac and cheese and burgers. While "Appetites" definitely wasn't as formal as "Les Halles," it did provide a spotlight for Bourdain's typical writing style and included plenty of curse words, humor, and evocative imagery. It was also a book that concentrated his 40 years of experience into a curated collection of recipes he had genuinely cooked at home after many years of globetrotting in search of unusual dishes, techniques, and tricks.

Both "Les Halles" and "Appetites" are still in print ("Les Halles" was re-released in 2025 with a new foreword to celebrate its 20th anniversary). Bourdain also released a new edition of "Kitchen Confidential" that included updated notes and comments, five years before his death in 2018.