A Look Back At Anthony Bourdain's 2016 Visit To Nashville

NASHVILLE, TN – Anthony Bourdain, the chef turned writer turned celebrity television travelogue host who visited Nashville for an October 2016 episode of his show "Parts Unknown," died at a hotel in France on Friday. He was 61.

Bourdain was discovered dead from an apparent suicide by friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert, CNN announced.

Bourdain brought "Parts Unknown" to Nashville in a much-ballyhooed visit during a time when the Music City was coming to terms with its new status as a destination. The trip caused a buzz among chefs, foodies and general civic boosters alike, yet another marker on Nashville's It City journey.

The finished product, on the other hand, was, to put it mildly, divisive. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

On one hand, Bourdain was praised for his exhaustive - and exhausting - tour of the city's food and drink spots. Bourdain himself said he left town "damaged but happy."

On the other hand, many natives found some of the host's choices a bit cliche. For one, he hit heavy on the rarity of locals in the growing city, a point made so frequently in Nashville that it inspires eyerolls and jokes about unicorns. Bourdain also remained committed to reminding viewers Music City has more than just country music, a point that out-of-town media has made innumerable times since Jason & The Scorchers released cowpunk classic "Fervor" in 1983 and that profiles of the city repeat ad nauseam every time a rock or pop act from Middle Tennessee makes it into the broader consciousness.

But, sometimes, while making those oft-made points, he made them in interesting ways that, perhaps, even Nashvillians don't often consider. He spent some time profiling Jefferson Street's importance to soul and R&B, noting its clubs were once must-stops for America's top black artists. He did, however, forget to explain that the clubs and booming black business district and neighborhood around them were crushed when the powers-that-be sliced the neighborhood in half with an interstate, a lamentable decision the city is only starting to figure out how to rectify.

Naturally, Bourdain being a culinary man, he had to partake in Nashville's two great culinary touchstones, though even his choices there left many scratching their heads. For hot chicken, he opted for Bolton's, rather than Prince's or Hattie B's, the creators and Reformers (capital-R intended), respectively, of heavy-spiced poultry. For his meat-and-three, he decided to stay neutral in the decades long war between Swett's and Arnold's devotees (probably a wise choice) and went to cult favorite Dandgure's instead. Of course, the show is called "Parts Unknown," so perhaps picking the less popular spots was intentional.

Still, as the Nashville Scene's D. Patrick Rodgers wrote in an introduction to a heated open-thread on the episode, "All of those things considered, here’s something to keep in mind: These 'Parts Unknown' episodes aren’t produced with the locals in mind. They’re made for the people who aren’t from here."

Some clips from the episode are available from CNN.

Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images