Anthony Bourdain Memorial Will Be Sent To Family

GRAMERCY, NY — Farewell notes left outside Les Halles, the Gramercy restaurant where Anthony Boudain once worked, will be collected and sent to the celebrity chef's family as a tribute to the late chef, according to workers renovating the space.

"We want to make sure they see the memories people are sharing," said Henry Rodriguez, a construction worker who is renovating the brasserie. "When it started raining we took most of the notes down to preserve them."

"We're going to send them to the family."

After news broke that Bourdain died by suicide last week, locals flocked to the shuttered Park Avenue South eatery between East 28th and 29th streets to pay homage to the author, television host and cook-turned-food icon.

Grieving fans covered the storefront's windows — where Anthony Bourdain worked as the executive chef in the 1990s — with dozens of impassioned notes and bouquets of flowers. Others left food from various cultures including rice noodles, a French baguette and alcohol from across the world.

Workers will continue to collect the messages and will eventually mail them to Bourdain's family.

Photo credit: Caroline Spivack/Patch