When it comes to writing about food with wit and candor, few can rival the late, great Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain's memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly remains a giant in the genre, and it's only fitting that the book is joining the ever-growing library of deluxe hardcover editions at The Folio Society.
One of the many perks of The Folio Society's edition of Kitchen Confidential is that it includes a portrait of Bourdain commissioned from his friend, legendary artist Paul Pope. IGN can exclusively debut that image below:
Here's the official summary of what to expect from this edition of Kitchen Confidential:
The Folio Society edition of Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly features a cover, slipcase and endpapers designed by Kishan Rajani, incorporating Jake Chessum’s photography on the cover as well as an adapted food list in Bourdain's handwriting on the slipcase. The edition includes 12 stunning, rare photos by Chessum, a photographer whose extensive portfolio includes definitive imagery of Bill Gates, Kate Moss, Brad Pitt, The Strokes, Amy Winehouse, and President Obama. The book also features gilded edges, blocked cloth binding, and a generous cookbook-style format, making the most of the integrated photographs which mostly appear as double-page spreads. The book also includes an all-new illustration of Bourdain by the bestselling, award-winning artist Paul Pope, which was commissioned specifically for this edition.
“Tony was a special person and I'm glad I got to know him and work with him,” said Pope in a statement. “I wanted to evoke his young days with a bit of an expressionist/punk portrait combining lower east side New York and the music which he loved. Bourdain forever forever Bourdain.”
“Told in Bourdain’s signature exhilarating, full-throttle, and sharply funny style, Kitchen Confidential remains so compelling after all these years because its pages teem with the authenticity, passion, and generosity of spirit of its iconic author,” said editor Mandy Kirkby. “Restaurant kitchen culture has changed since its writing, but some things remain: brunch is usually a rip off, chicken is for scaredy cats and the undiscerning, and shellfish is a bad idea in an empty restaurant, whatever the day of the week. It’s not a cookbook—and not even a book about food, per se—but it will definitely leave you feeling hungry.”
This edition of Kitchen Confidential is priced at £85 / US $130 and will go on sale at 8am PT on October 13 on the Folio Society website.
Bourdain's legacy also lives on in the form of Get Jiro, a new Adult Swim animated series based on his graphic novel series. You can check out IGN's review of the Get Jiro series premiere.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.