In terms of culinary entertainment, there’s not much else that can rival witnessing two of most beloved figures in the game (at least in the modern era) cross paths. Doubly so considering we’ll never be able to witness Anthony Bourdain visiting Gordon Ramsay for a televised review moment in history again.
The year was 2002. Bourdain had only just published Kitchen Confidential a few years prior, skyrocketing into mainstream stardom as a best-selling author, chef, and public personality. Shortly after, Bourdain was approached for the role of presenter in the Food Network show, A Cook’s Tour – where the clip below first appeared.
A Cook’s Tour would not only serve as Bourdain’s first steps towards becoming a more permanent fixture in the wider pop culture, but also as a blueprint for his later shows – namely No Reservations, The Layover, before arriving to Parts Unknown.
Incidentally, this was also around the beginning of Ramsay’s mainstream rise. Having just earned his third Michelin-star – hence why Bourdain so readily labelled him “the best chef in England, end of story” – up until this point, Ramsay had only appeared in a documentary. It would be a few more years before the premiere of Kitchen Nightmares, which as we all know, opened the flood gates for Ramsay’s own global stardom.
Bourdain and Ramsay would remain friends until the former’s untimely passing.
