As so many mourn the loss of beloved chef, traveler and writer Anthony Bourdain, we have a glimpse at his most recent visit to Seattle and conversation with some of the people he hand chose to represent Seattle’s story.
Bourdain’s unconventional approach applied to everything he did – travel, food, conversation – no matter where he was. He visited Seattle last year to paint a picture of the city for his CNN show “Parts Unknown.” Here, he talked about the tech invasion, music, and the tension between old and new Seattle.
All of those conversations were held over food.
“He wasn’t about talking about himself, he really wanted to know what they were about,” says one of the characters he chose for his story, retired homicide detective Mike Ciesynski. “Anthony was very easy to talk to. You could sit outside, have a smoke with him, knocking out some beers until the wee hours of the morning and the conversation would never halt.”
The two met in July 2017 at the North Star Diner and Shanghai Room, an out-of-the-way spot in the Greenwood neighborhood.
“We were obviously over the moon to have them here,” says co-owner of the diner Tony Lombardi. “He had a pint of Manny’s and a crabby bacon melt.”
On the day of Bourdain’s death, a single cocktail sat at the place where he dined.
Above the front door, their group picture hangs.
Lombardi was surprised that his spot was chosen as a conversation spot, but has a hunch about why, saying, “They were trying to get away from some touristy places and really trying to find some like, real neighborhood places.”
He knew why the brash world traveler who made his name visiting exotic places, meeting with, eating with, and talking with people, was so popular.
“He was vulnerable. He was human. Everything was there. It wasn’t super-polished all the time. He was into punk… He was into smoking cigarettes. And had demons that he hadn’t conquered. That’s why he’s so beloved by everyone in this industry.”
But it was his ability to connect to anyone that set him apart.
Ciesynski says, “He just made the average Joe feel comfortable. And he was interested in them. He was interested in their stories, which is very important."
“He really took it to new levels,” says Lombardi,. “It’s a really sad loss.”
The retired detective signed off, in the same place they’d talked not even a year before, with a raised glass in Bourdain’s honor.
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