TV chef leaves 'cool' for funny in new book

Anthony Bourdain is a proud papa. The chef-turned-author and TV show host famously quit smoking after his daughter, Ariane, was born in 2007.

"I'm through being cool," he writes in his new book, "Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and The People Who Cook" (HarperCollins, $16.99)

"As any conscientious father knows in his bones, any remaining trace elements of coolness go right out the window from the second you lay eyes on your firstborn."

But there are plenty of Bourdain fans here in Utah who still think the host of the Travel Channel's "No Reservations" is pretty cool.

To that end, I tried to get an interview in advance of his "No Reservations: An Evening With Anthony Bourdain," at Abravanel Hall June 19 at 8 p.m.

But, due to some glitches and Bourdain's touring schedule, it didn't work out. Meanwhile, I found that some of the questions I planned to ask were answered in "Medium Raw," which hit bookstores last week.

For instance, "Are you nurturing your daughter's palate, and do you let her eat fast food?"

He tells her that Ronald McDonald has "cooties" and "smells bad."

"I think constantly about ways to 'help' my daughter in her food choices — without bringing the usual pressures to bear," he writes.

" 'Look how nice that thin Miley Cyrus is' are not words that shall leave my lips, as such notions might drive a young girl to bulimia, bad boyfriends and eventually, crystal meth."

Bourdain obviously hasn't lost his self-mocking sense of humor.

In 2000, the New York chef's best-selling "Kitchen Confidential" propelled him to fame and fortune as the "bad boy" of the culinary world, and eventually, the globe-trotting host of The Travel Channel's "No Reservations.

In "Medium Raw," Bourdain explores the changes in the food world, and in himself, since then. It's an eclectic collection of raves and rants about other chefs, restaurants, the food industry, the Food Network, restaurant critics, vegetarians and most of all, himself.

"One minute, I was standing next to a deep fryer, pan-searing pepper steaks — and the next, I was sitting on top of a dune, watching the sun set over the Sahara."