HOUSTON – We remember Anthony Bourdain and how he brought much deserved attention to the Houston cuisine and culture he couldn’t get enough of.
Bourdain is a name you will hear from time to time at Burns Original BBQ. Walk in and before you order, you can’t help but notice the familiar restaurant on the TV looping what would be Bourdain’s last visit.
“He put our little small business on the map just by his presence and that means a lot to a lot of people,” Gary Burns said.
Burns has seen Bourdain visit for the past 15 years, back when his father Roy Burns Sr. was still alive.
No matter what show, no matter the network, Bourdain always made time for Burns. It was almost like a second home and you could hear it in his voice.
The Houston installment of Part’s Unknown gives people just like myself a window into the many cultures embraced by the city. In every episode, no matter where he was, Bourdain had a profound talent for writing to what he saw.
His passion was food, but Bourdain was more interested in how these meals brought people together to the table.
That alone made Houston a no-brainer for whatever network he was on at the moment. The food, we know is impeccable. However, there’s stuff here you won’t find anywhere else.
Linda Lam epitomizes what it means to embrace your culture. At South Bank restaurant, she mixes lemongrass, Cajun spices and garlic to make Viet-Cajun crawfish.
With mixed food trucks everywhere and mixed culture restaurants, no one would blame you if you took it for granted. Anthony did not.
While her restaurant was not featured on the show, Lam says she was inspired to see Bourdain take an interest in the city now considered a food capitol.
“You can’t find that kind of chef anymore that’s very passionate about their food, about where it comes from. If they could go to the end of the world to find that kind of food they will,” said Lam.
What Anthony saw in Houston, is what he imagined for the rest of the world. A place unassuming and forever welcoming.
Here he found a home and Houston is forever grateful.