University Press returns with another short and captivating biography of one of history's most compelling figures, Anthony Bourdain. Anthony Bourdain was the "original rock star" of the culinary world. As a world-renowned chef, best-selling author, celebrated journalist, travel documentarian, and social activist, he celebrated the joy of food - both for its own sake and for its ability to bring people together.

Born in New York City in 1956 to a Catholic father and a Jewish mother, Anthony Michael Bourdain was raised in a stable, nonreligious, music-loving, book-reading family. He joined the Boy Scouts, got rebellious, did drugs, dropped out of college, became a chef, started writing, got married, got divorced, did that again, mastered television, traveled the world, quit drugs, achieved fame, earned a fortune, shared a famous meal with President Barack Obama, advocated for social justice, and tragically succumbed to depression.

This short book tells the intensely human story of a man who changed the world in a way that no one else could.