Anthony Bourdain’s Mysterious Detroit Project Will Focus on ‘Historical Subject’

Foul-mouthed celebrity chef and world traveler Anthony Bourdain arrives in Detroit this Sunday, October 30, for the Fox Theatre stop on his whirlwind live tour, “The Hunger.” Bourdain is currently doing the rounds with local media trying to get the word out on the show, which features recollections of Guy Fieri nightmares and a substantial audience question-and-answer section.

Late last month, one of Bourdain’s statements to The Detroit Free Press prompted speculation about a “big” new project the chef has in store for the Motor City. Questioned by The Detroit News’s Melody Baetens about the project, Bourdain continued to play coy with the details. “I am working on a very substantial, nonfiction project in Detroit,” Bourdain says, adding that the focus will be a “historical subject.”

The chef, who showcased Detroit three years ago in an episode of his Emmy award-winning CNN travelogue Parts Unknown, adds that he’s a huge booster for Detroit and criticized the rhetoric surrounding the city’s financial crisis. “I’m still angry about the fact that there were people walking around at one point saying we shouldn’t bail out the auto industry and that we should let Detroit sink,” he tells the News. “This strikes me as the height of anti-Americanism and just downright unpatriotic and suicidally stupid and in hideous taste to start with.” Alas, Bourdain says he won’t have time for a culinary tour of the city on this visit.

The Hunger tour isn’t the only thing the busy chef has on his plate. Bourdain’s latest book, Appetites, is out today. He spoke with the Eater Upsell podcast about getting artist legend Ralph Steadman (known for his work with Hunter S. Thompson) to develop the cover. He’s also in the process of developing a massive New York food hall.

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