Restaurant Featured On ‘No Reservations’ To Donate $60k To Suicide Prevention

anthony bourdain no reservations restaurant american dream

A restaurant owner in New York City has posted a touching tribute to Anthony Bourdain, and promised to donate the entire restaurant chain’s profits from Friday June 8 (US time) to suicide prevention.

Jason Wang, the son of the founder of NYC restaurant Xi’an Famous Foods, took to Twitter to express his sadness at Bourdain’s death, as well as his gratitude.

Wang said that after Bourdain visited the restaurant in an episode of his TV show No Reservations, Xi’an Famous Foods became successful enough for his family to leave their one-room lodgings in Flushing and move into a family apartment. They eventually opened restaurants in 12 locations, and Wang’s father would often trial new dishes when Bourdain came for return visits.

In the Twitter thread, Wang describes meeting Bourdain eight years after the episode was filmed, and thanking him in person.

I wanted him to know it helped bring our family out from living in one room in Flushing to living the American Dream.

When recounting the conversation, he told Buzzfeed today:

He basically said that he was just doing what he was doing, that we were the ones making the food and he just liked it,

Xi’an Famous Foods will be donating all of its profits from all its locations to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a sum that Wang said was likely to be in the area of US$50,ooo – $60,000.

He explained:

It’s important to show him respect and acknowledgment with more than just words. It’s been a tragic week.

Our hearts go out to everyone who’s reeling from the death of Anthony Bourdain, a man whose approach to food and humanity touched so many lives.

If you would like to talk to someone about mental health, please call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (ages 5 to 25) or BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636. If you are in crisis, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

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