It has been a few days beyond a year since the world-particularly the food and beverage industry-lost an icon. There are restaurant worker bees all over America, or the world for that matter, who felt like their inner voice was silenced for good when it was discovered that renowned chef-author and television personality Anthony Bourdain had taken his own life in France.
Food lovers world-wide gasped when they heard. The news cycle did what it did for a period of time before it, too, moved on to a new “flavor of the week.”
In Savannah, Brandy Williamson, Executive Chef for Daniel Reed Hospitality, rallied her community to do what they could to raise awareness. A full day fundraiser was held on the West side. A couple of thousand dollars were collected for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in the name of Anthony Bourdain. The F&B world continued to mourn, but for the most part, everyone else moved on.
Brandy never did.
“I’ve been thinking about it all year.” she says. “I think about suicide prevention constantly. Then after last year’s event I started to wonder what we could do next year to raise even more money to donate to AFSP.”
She called on a few friends to join her in the cause. Tomorrow (Tuesday June 25th) Five Savannah restaurants have agreed to donate 10% of their revenue for the day to AFSP in the name of Anthony Bourdain. Participants include Fox and Fig Cafe, The Collins Quarter, Public Kitchen and Bar, Zunzi’s and Green Truck Pub.
“I’m doing this” Brandy says “because Chef Bourdain’s suicide was a wake up call for me on how easy it is to assume someone is OK when they are not. Not to mention the stress that this industry puts on us.”
“The non industry folks are usually clueless as to how hard it is to work in a restaurant. It takes a toll on our minds, our bodies on a regular basis.” she says.
Awareness is the biggest first step, of course, but that doesn’t make it easy. There are planned celebrations for “Bourdain Day” around the country and around the world. June 25th would have been Mr. Bourdain’s 63rd birthday.
“If we don’t recognize the difficulties of balancing a healthy work-personal life balance, then we are all subject to having depression and anxiety.” she says. “It’s hot. It’s busy. It’s hard work. We spend more time in kitchens than we do with our families.”
As with any fundraiser, every little bit helps. In this case, you may be helping someone locally fight through an issue no one ever knew about.
Meanwhile, Bourdain’s legacy will not fade away any time soon. There are a series of books in the works as well as a CNN produced documentary on Anthony Bourdain’s life on the way.
For more information about suicide prevention click here.
# # #
