Gladys Bourdain, mother of late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, has passed away at 85.
A longtime copy editor with the New York Times, Bourdain died on Friday, Jan. 10.
Gladys’ son, Christopher, confirmed the news to the Times, where his mother worked from 1984 to 2008.
According to the Times, Gladys was responsible for her pushing her son out of the kitchen and into the spotlight, helping him get a tell-all article about the New York City restaurant industry published when she asked Times reporter Esther Fein if she would pass along his article, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This”, to her husband David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker.
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Remnick published the article, which formed the basis of Anthony Bourdain’s bestselling book Kitchen Confidential, (which was later adapted as a short-lived TV series starring Bradley Cooper) and served as the chef’s launching pad to a television career.
“She came over, and she said, ‘You know, your husband’s got this new job,'” Fein told the Times. “‘I hate to sound like a pushy mom, but I’m telling you this with my editor’s hat on, not my mother’s hat on. It’s really good, and it’s really interesting, but nobody will look at it, nobody will call him back or give it a second look. Could you put it in your husband’s hands?'”
Two years after his death, Anthony Bourdain’s final book will be published later this year.
As People reports, Bourdain was working on the book before he died, alongside his longtime assistant and co-author Laurie Woolever.
Titled World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, the posthumous release will hit bookstores on Oct. 13.
