Anthony Bourdain in a promotional photo for No Reservations. Photo courtesy of Discovery Communications.

Today is Bourdain Day, a holiday introduced by chefs Éric Ripert and Jose Andrés to honor their friend, late chef Anthony Bourdain, on what would have been his birthday. Ripert says the idea was to celebrate the life of Bourdain, one that illuminated cultures near and far through a love of food, instead of his death. Bourdain died by suicide last year, prompting discussions about mental health in the food industry. His legacy of introducing viewers to faraway people is one that will live on through his shows on CNN, Parts Unknown, and the Travel Channel, No Reservations.

Planning a binge watch in Bourdain’s honor? We asked chefs and a bartender which episodes are their favorites. My personal favorite is the episode of No Reservations in Croatia, since I’ve been lucky enough to go to many of the spots featured and it brings back wonderful memories. Justin, on the other hand, loves the Vegas episode. —Kristen Wile

Marc Jacksina, Southminster
Parts Unknown Season 5, Episode 4: Vietnam
Why: “My personal connection with Anthony was strengthened by a shared and specific love for the cuisine of Hue.”

Amy Fortes, The Flipside Cafe & Flipside Restaurant
No Reservations Season 12, Episode 2: Asturias, Spain
Why: I loved to see [Bourdain and guest José Andres’] dynamic, their friendship, and all the shit they always put each other through and said to one another, TV or not. It was bittersweet to watch after he was gone and how Jose spoke about him. Same with Anthony and Éric Ripert. Seeing Anthony always just be Anthony no matter what is just a small bit of why so many people (chefs especially) love and respect him so much.”

Bob Peters, The Queen & Glass
No Reservations Season 7, Episode 12: El Bulli
Why: “The imagination, hard work, and the pursuit of perfection was so incredibly inspirational.”

Chris Coleman, Stoke
Parts Unknown Season 3, Episode 2: Punjab, India
Why: “I love everything about that episode. The study in religion, the train ride, the history behind the daily rituals at the gate that separates India and Pakistan. I think India as a subcontinent and culture is one that hasn’t traditionally been appreciated in the American South, so I learned a lot from that episode.”

Michael Bowling, The Hot Box
Parts Unknown Season 6, Episode 9: Charleston, S.C.
Why: “It introduced the country to Gullah cuisine.”

Miranda Brown, The Asbury
Parts Unknown Season 2, Episode 8: Tokyo
No Reservations Season 7, Episode 3: Tokyo
Why: “The swanky bar where Tony has a beer in the end was where Brent proposed. Before all of that, though, just the excitement and the weirdness of Tokyo that he captures. And I always wanted to understand the feeling of being in such a different environment and culture that has layers and layers to it that even the locals find strange. The food is obviously insane. I don’t think they completely captured that in Parts Unknown, but I still remember the episode of No Reservations where he goes and has sushi and I’m pretty sure he was crying. But that’s the beauty of it, is how many sides there can be to a place. And I think Anthony did a great job of giving the viewer a glimpse into so many places that you might not ever get to go to or understand.”

Other favorite Bourdain moments:

Eric Furguson, Stagioni
Bourdain’s book Kitchen Confidential
Why: “So much about the book hit me as true life when I woke up on my air mattress (that didn’t hold air all night) on the floor next to my roommate in a studio apartment in the Tenderloin [neighborhood] of San Francisco pursuing my dreams of becoming a chef, learning in the kitchen of Michel Tusk of Quince restaurant.”

Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links, which means Unpretentious Palate earns a small commission on any sales of the items above. Since nearly everything is available on Amazon these days, this has no influence on which items we feature.