Travelling TV personality and renowned Chef, Anthony Bourdain, brought joy to millions over the years, taking gastronomes on journeys of food discoveries to faraway places and inspiring many to follow in his footsteps of cookery and travel. Sadly, on 8th June 2018, while filming in France for his TV show Parts Unknown with friend and Michelin Star Chef Eric Ripert, Tony passed away. The coroner’s inquest concluded suicide. Anthony had taken his own life.
In 2019, American Chefs Eric Ripert and Jose Andreas proposed a worldwide call to action: to commemorate Anthony’s birthday and to celebrate his life annually on 25th June, which would become #BourdainDay.
Chef Peter Lloyd, the owner of restaurant Sticky Mango, is one of many who were inspired by Anthony’s journeys, and in honour of the great chef, Peter commissioned a stunning mural, which was created by street artist Jerome Davenport (@Ketones6000) and is displayed on the front of Peter’s south London restaurant. From one Chef to another, this awesome work of art is Peter’s way of paying his respects for all the great memories the two shared on screen, through the pages of Kitchen Confidential, together on a chef tour and again at the World Street Food Congress in Singapore and Manila.
The last time that Peter saw Anthony was in Manila Airport in the Philippines – inside a small smoking room hidden at the back of a convenience store. Peter recalls, “Tony was on good form for the congress. Here was a man I idolised, sharing a cig in some dingy little smoky room in a hot, sweaty Manila Airport with no air con… It gave me a taste of what on the surface looks like one of the most incredible jobs ever. Yet no one was really aware of the darkness that Tony was battling inside.”
To celebrate #BourdainDay 2021, Peter and his Sticky Mango team have designed a sharing menu to re-create some of the magical discoveries and meals that Anthony brought to TV screens. The special menu, priced at £49.50 pp will run for one week from Monday 21st until Sunday 27th June. Peter has partnered with The Burnt Chef Project to donate £5 from every menu sold to raise valuable funds for this worthwhile cause, supporting chefs and raising awareness of the ever-increasing challenges on mental health within this industry.
“The Burnt Chef Project was born to address the rise in hospitality professionals who were experiencing periods of poor mental health. 8 out of 10 people surveyed in May by The Burnt Chef Project showed how even during the early days of COVID our mental health and wellbeing needed our attention. We are working hard to improve the overall health of the hospitality industry from students, waiting staff and chefs all the way up to our most loved TV personalities to let them know that they are not alone.” Says Kris Hall
Sticky Mango’s #BourdainDay Menu will feature inspirations from a lunch Anthony shared with former US president Barack Obama in Vietnam Bon Cha ‘Explore Parts Unknown Season 8 Episode 1’. Another episode of ‘Explore Parts Unknown Season 3 Episode 7’ in Chang Mai, Thailand, showed Chef Andy Ricker eating pigs brains barbecued in banana leaf and crispy pigs tail, as well as the famous Chiang Mai sausage, described by Anthony as, “the best meal I’ve ever had.” Another highlight hails from ‘A Chefs Tour Season 2 Episode 10’, a Singaporean meal with street food guru, KF Seetoh, where the duo discovers Crab Bee Hoon, which Anthony declares as, “the single best dish I’ve had; if there’s nothing better than this I’d be pretty happy with that.”
Book Online: https://www.stickymango.co.uk/
#Bourdainday Tribute Menu
Sticky Mango – The Burnt Chef Project
£49.50pp
(£5 from every menu will be donated to The Burnt Chef Project)
THAI GREEN PAPAYA SALAD
Roasted Peanuts, Chilli, Lime, Fish Sauce
THAILAND
“Usually salad for me is rabbit food, this is the best salad I’ve had in memory, I don’t eat a lot of salads but this is pretty darn good” AB
BON CHA
Noodle Broth, Pork Balls, Nuoc Mam
VIETNAM– with President Barak Obama Lunch
“Vietnam, it grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you’ll love it forever” AB
CRAB BEE HOON
SINGAPORE – with KF Seetoh
“This is the single best dish I’ve ever had, if there’s nothing better than this, I’d be pretty happy with that” AB
CHAR KWEY TEOW
Rice Noodles, Cockles, Duck Egg
PENANG – MALAYSIA
“A simple good thing, in this case one of my favourite things” AB
BEEF RENDANG
Jasmine Rice
WEST SUMATRA – INDONESIA with William Wongso
“I’ve had many Rendangs, but that is the best I’ve ever tasted”
NOSE TO TAIL
BBQ Pork Brain Banana Leaf, Pork Tail, Pork Sausage
CHIANG MAI – with Chef Andy Ricker
“This is delicious, anyone would completely love this. The Best Meal I’ve ever had” AB
MANGO STICKY RICE
Mango, Sweet Sticky Rice, Condensed Milk