Arts & Entertainment
Anthony Bourdain Mentee Raises $73K For Suicide Prevention
Xi'an Famous Foods said business nearly doubled after they vowed to donate all June 8 sales to suicide prevention in Bourdain's honor.
FLUSHING, QUEENS -- When celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain took his own life last Friday, it prompted a slew of heartfelt tributes from restaurateurs whose lives he touched - One of them raised more than $73,000 for suicide prevention.
Xi'an Famous Food started as a basement food stall in Flushing, but exploded in popularity after Bourdain visited the Chinese eatery in 2007 for his Travel Channel show, "No Reservations." The mini-chain now boasts a dozen eateries across New York City.
CEO Jason Wang posted an emotional tribute to Bourdain on the Xi'an Famous Food's Instagram page Friday, vowing to donate all of the chain's sales from that day to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-Talk in honor of his late friend.
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The support came flooding in, and Xi'an Famous Foods was able to raise a whopping $73,509.76 for the suicide prevention organization, Wang said Monday.
"With your heartfelt support, along with the hard work of our sore staff, we were able to serve almost double the amount of dishes as usual during dinner on Friday 6/8/19, with some stores selling out of items toward the end of the night," he wrote in an update to Instagram.
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"Thank you for helping us with this tribute to our friend."
In his original post on Friday, Wang recounted how Bourdain changed his life when he visited his family's Flushing food stall all those years ago.
Bourdain's rave reviews helped his family grow their restaurant and go from "living in one room in Flushing to living the American dream," Wang said.
He still remembers Bourdain's response when he tried to thank him years later.
"I looked at him in the eyes and said, this is something we will always be thankful for, Tony. And he simply replied, 'I'm just calling out good food like it is, that's all,'" Wang wrote.
Today's a day of extreme sadness for us here at Xi'an Famous Foods. I've lost a dear friend today, and we mourn with the rest of the world. I remember the time in 2007 when Tony first visited our basement food stall in Flushing for Travel Channel's No Reservations while I was still in college (even though I didn't know who he was at the time). I remember my father preparing interesting off-menu dishes to get his opinion on when he visited our store. I remember years later in 2015 after interviewing together for an article, I approached Tony and told him, while he may have no idea what he has done for our family and business by simply saying he enjoyed the food, I wanted him to know it helped bring our family out from living in one room in Flushing to living the American dream. We were able to grow our business and provide great food for our guests, and opportunities for our employees. I looked at him in the eyes and said, this is something we will always be thankful for, Tony. And he simply replied, "I'm just calling out good food like it is, that's all." In honor of his memory and all of those dear people who left us all too early, and in taking whatever action we can to prevent suicide in the US, Xi'an Famous Foods will be donating 100% of our net sales on June 8, 2018, from all of our stores, to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK @800273talk. Please cherish all of our lives and help those who may be struggling. Rest in peace, Tony, and the most sincere condolences to Tony's beloved family. ~Jason Wang, CEO ... [UPDATE 6/11/18: With your heartfelt support, along with the hard work of our store staff, we were able to serve almost double the amount of dishes as usual during dinner on Friday 6/8/18, with some stores selling out of items towards the end of the night. We were able to raise $73,509.76 (net sales) to donate to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline '1-800-273-TALK (8255)' to help their work in suicide prevention. Thank you for helping us with this tribute to our friend.]
A post shared by Xi'an Famous Foods (@xianfoods) on Jun 8, 2018 at 8:37am PDT
Anyone struggling with mental health can get help by calling National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visiting this website. New Yorkers can also find resources by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL.
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