Remembering Anthony Bourdain In Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH —Anthony Bourdain was famous for his wit and his cynicism, frequently deployed in tandem. He was also known for tramping around famous locales and dining on local dishes. In Cleveland, Bourdain found a blue collar home-away-from-home, letting the city pierce his armor of sarcasm, while digging into Northeast Ohio's rich culinary offerings.

Sadly, the CNN star won't be making anymore trips to Northeast Ohio. The celebrity chef and star of CNN's "Parts Unknown," died from an apparent suicide at the age of 61, the network announced.

The current chef de jour of Cleveland, Michael Symon, took to Twitter to express his grief over the loss of Bourdain. During a 2007 visit to the city for an episode of "No Reservations" Bourdain dined at Lola, one of Symon's restaurants.

The Trip To Cleveland

Also during his 2007 visit, Bourdain spent time with Harvey Pekar, the author of "American Splendor," which explores day-to-day life in Cleveland. The two bonded over a shared sense of humor and the episode was spliced with shaded comic panels made to resemble Pekar's comic book.

The duo visited Zubal Books in Cleveland, housed in the bones of a former Twinkie factory. Bourdain is blown away by the sheer number of books that are stored inside. At the time, it was the world's largest book store.

"This alone is reason to come to Cleveland," Bourdain narrates. "You could lose yourself in books and never come out."

Before wrapping up the episode, the chef and host visits the West Side Market. He snatches up ingredients to make a French dish, but uses only Ohio-grown ingredients. After he looks around the building, he quips, "This is nice. This is impressive."

By the end of the episode, and his visit to Cleveland, Bourdain had overcome his initial doubts about the city. He even seemed to like the place.

The entire Cleveland episode of "No Reservations" can be seen on YouTube.

Bourdain first became a household name with the publication of his book, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly," in 2000.

The chef's piercing look at the big personalities in the world of haute cuisine vaulted him to stardom. He became the host of "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network and "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" on the Travel Channel before joining CNN in 2013 for "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown."

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