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He took us to Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza 鈥� places that rarely get attention beyond doom-and-gloom news headlines. He showed the humanity, growth, nuance and beauty of every place without sugar-coating it and opened them up to an audience of millions that hung on Bourdain鈥檚 every word. He knew he had a powerful platform, and knew when to step aside to let others tell their stories of tragedy and triumph through the universal language of food.

He also put his influence to good use in the restaurant industry, being one of the few prominent male chefs to call out the culture of toxic masculinity in kitchens that oddly enough, gave him his rock star chef persona when his memoir Kitchen Confidential came out.

I only interviewed Bourdain once, a brief, 10-minute phone call back in 2011 when he was promoting his new show, The Layover, which guided viewers on where to eat and drink with only a day or two in a city. Ironically, he was calling during a layover. He filmed an episode in Toronto, visiting Poutini鈥檚, Carousel Bakery at the St. Lawrence Market, Kensington Market bar Cold Tea, Porchetta and Co. and The Black Hoof, which he described as a must-visit for guests to our city, and credited owner and friend Jen Agg with being a leader in calling out the restaurant industry鈥檚 sexist culture.

Bourdain loved Canada鈥攄espite once saying 海角社区官网had all the worst architectural fads of the 20th century (Let鈥檚 be honest: he said what we were all thinking). Just like that friend who wouldn鈥檛 shut up after a great meal at a new restaurant, Bourdain praised restaurants such as Montreal鈥檚 Joe Beef and Au Pied Du Cochon.

His friends at Joe Beef, Dave McMillan and Fred Morin, convinced him to go to Newfoundland to film an episode of Parts Unknown, which aired last month. It not only showcased the diversity of the province鈥檚 culinary offerings from cod tongues to sea urchin pate, but also shed light on issues such as sustainable fishing and preserving local traditions. Even through the episode was momentarily shrouded by controversy when the show鈥檚 Twitter account referred to Newfoundlanders as 鈥渘ewfies,鈥� nonetheless East Coasters were proud to have their food showcased.

As Canadians, we already knew these places were awesome, but it was comforting that someone as well-travelled as Bourdain, who slurped noodles with then-President Barack Obama in Hanoi, reminded us that, yes, our food stands with the best, and the rest of the world needs to know about it.

While there will never be another Bourdain, he showed us as food writers that there are countless stories that need to be told, whether it鈥檚 in a country on the other side of the world or the little takeout shop we pass by every day.