Anthony Bourdain

Raised in New Jersey, Anthony Bourdain went from cooking to the success of Kitchen Confidential in 2000 and food-and-travel television. Josh Eells’ 2015 portrait placed this career alongside marriage and fatherhood in 2007: between long filming trips, he protected school routines and summers with his daughter. He was already trying jiu-jitsu by June 2013, when Graciemag described his wife Ottavia bringing him to Renzo Gracie’s New York academy for an introductory lesson with Igor Gracie. The report drew on Ottavia’s account. In an interview for Graciemag’s issue 228, later republished in 2018, Bourdain recalled expecting to dislike grappling and being surprised that he enjoyed the lesson. Getting through the warmups was an early challenge. Then came a year of being repeatedly outmatched by younger, more experienced partners. His 2015 blue belt, awarded by Igor, represented sustained work and brought a new responsibility: he wanted to become a better blue belt. His stated goal was continued learning rather than reaching black belt. In his October 2015 essay, he described an hour’s private lesson with Igor followed by an hour in John Danaher’s mixed-belt class: repeating techniques, then sparring. Progress meant keeping stronger partners from getting past his legs and pinning him. The learning curve reminded him of being a kitchen newcomer. For Eells, he described another connection with writing: a difficult position could occupy his thoughts between sessions, until he returned to test a solution. He also explained building a San Francisco episode around training with Kurt Osiander at Ralph Gracie Academy. Warnings about the warmups prompted a month’s strength and endurance preparation; the daytime warmups proved less punishing than he expected. Travel did not mean suspending practice. In his interview with Charles Thorp for Men’s Journal, Bourdain said he preferred joining regular group classes on the road rather than booking private instruction. In Singapore, Evolve’s early-morning timetable gave him a reliable morning option. At home, he trained with Igor and sought out Danaher’s noon class. He also described conditioning at Mushin before a New York Open. During a Hanoi filming visit in May 2016, VietNamNet reported him sharing a photograph with a local BJJ club. The IBJJF’s partial results for the 2016 New York Spring Open list Bourdain first in male Master 5 blue-belt middleweight gi, representing Renzo Gracie Academy. He is listed second in the same division at that year’s New York Summer Open.