New Jersey looks to remember Anthony Bourdain with 'official food trail'

Catherine Carrera | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption New Yorkers sad over Anthony Bourdain's death New Yorkers who live in the same Upper East Side neighborhood as celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain reacted to the news of his apparent suicide. Bourdain's body was discovered Friday in France. (June 8)

Anthony Bourdain’s favorite Jersey eateries from Fort Lee to Atlantic City would become an official food trail named in honor of the celebrity chef, who died unexpectedly June 8.

“A designated trail of his favorite dining spots is a fitting way to honor the memory of one of New Jersey’s best-known chefs,” said Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Gloucester.

Moriarty introduced a resolution Monday calling for the Legislature to officially mark the honor and remember Bourdain, a New Jersey native whose suicide this month prompted many in the state to remember his roots, and his impact worldwide.

The resolution calls on the Division of Travel and Tourism to establish the “Anthony Bourdain Food Trail,” which would include the 10 spots he visited in a 2015 episode of “Parts Unknown,” his CNN food and travel show that ran for 11 seasons.

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The 10 eateries the Leonia native visited in that episode include: Hiram’s Roadstand in Fort Lee; Frank’s Deli in Asbury Park; Kubel’s in Barnegat Light; Lucille’s Country Cooking in Barnegat; Tony and Ruth Steaks and Donkey’s Place in Camden; and Fork, Dock’s Oyster House, Tony’s Baltimore Grill and James’ Salt Water Taffy in Atlantic City.

Bourdain, the influential chef whose career began as a dishwasher at a clam shack in Massachusetts, recalled in the episode his childhood at the beaches and restaurants in the Long Beach Island area of the Jersey Shore.

“Even after international fame, he never forgot his Jersey roots,” Moriarty said. “It was heartbreaking for his fans and for those who knew him in Leonia to find out of his passing.”

Email: carrera@northjersey.com