The late Anthony Bourdain was, among other things, a world traveler, whose various shows — among them No Reservations, The Layover, and Parts Unknown — took deep, passionate dives in places well-known and far-flung. But apparently he was especially fond of Detroit. The chef and TV star even executive produced a documentary series on the Michigan city that, over a year after his death, is close to being finished. All it needs is a home.
This news comes from Detroit Free Press, which claims the four-part series has been shopped around since January but has not yet found a place that would air it. It was a passion project for Bourdain, who, back in 2016, gushed to the publication about their town.
“I’d love to be able to say that I came from Detroit,” Bourdain told them. “That would be like the coolest thing I could ever say.”
According to Bourdain’s longtime producing partner Lydia Tenagalia, the series blends new interviews and archival footage to tell the history of Motor City. As such, it doesn’t sound like a typical Bourdain production, which tended to follow the superstar chef and bestselling writer — who became a household name with his first book, Kitchen Confidential, in 2000 — as he explored various destinations.
Detroit certainly has a fascinating history, and a fascinating present. Once ranked the fourth largest in the auto industry — as well home to such titanic musical acts as The Stooges, MC5, Bob Seger, and Alice Cooper — it fell on hard times, even filing for bankruptcy in 2013. Since then it has been rebounding, partly by attracting people hoping to turn it into a cultural hotspot.
(Via Detroit Free Press)
