“Don’t give in to stigma. A diagnosis does not determine who you are or what you can do!”
Anthony Bourdain’s suicide in June, 2018 came as a profound shock to his worldwide legion of fans. A year later, when Bourdain’s friends and fellow chefs Éric Ripert and José Andrés chose his birthday on June 25 as Bourdain Day, remembrances of the late chef, traveler, journalist and television personality quickly passed from the larger international stage to any number of local kitchens, farms, food trucks and juke joints where Bourdain’s enduring influence was felt most tellingly.
Bourdain’s posthumous legacy may ultimately surpass that of his considerable body of work, because in the wake of his passing, consciousness about mental health issues and suicide prevention is being actively expanded.
Toward this end, the third edition of A Taste for Life (2023) will take place on Spratt Street, alongside Four Pegs Smokehouse and Bar (1053 Goss Ave.), on Sunday, the 25th of June.
The first celebration came in 2019, and the second was delayed until October, 2022 by the pandemic and its aftermaths, which ironically (and sadly) served to make the observance even more relevant than it had been previously.
In 2023, A Taste for Life shifts back to its original target date of late June, and this year the event falls precisely on Bourdain Day.
- A Taste of Life 2023, on Spratt Street in Germantown, alongside Four Pegs Smokehouse and Bar.
- Sunday, June 25, 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- More than 20 chefs will offer food samplings, and there’ll be a cash bar (the first drink ticket is included).
- The cost is $50 per person; to purchase tickets, visit A Taste for Life/Give Smart.
- Music by Hot Brown Smackdown.
- Proceeds benefit The Pete Foundation and NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Louisville.
Chef, owner, smoker of meats and chief organizer Chris Williams of Four Pegs surveys the stakes.
“With A Taste for Life, we want to hammer home the point that working in the service industry is incredibly hard on those who make and serve our guests’ food. Working long hours and nights in this business often keeps us away from our loved ones, family, and friends and that puts us at risk for mental illness, addiction, and suicide. If we don’t talk about these things and help people find available resources, the stigma continues. We want to let people know it’s ok to not be ok.”
Taste for Life Chefs 2023
Ashlee Northington – Happy Belly Bistro
Dallas McGarity – Fat Lamb
Josh Moore – Volare
Guy Genoud and Chef Patrick – Brassiere Provence
Ian Cincinelli – Embassy Suites
Serge Katz – Flavaville
Kyle Yates – Smokin Cantina
Lamont Bobo – Fox Den Billiards, Bites & Brews
Daryk Havlicek – Daryk’s
Zach Henderson – Vernon Lanes
Sean Haggerty – Commonwealth Catering
Allan Rosenberg – Hauck’s
Dalton Wooten – North of Bourbon
Dave Allen and Taran Parsens – Varanese
Troy King – Six Forks Burger Co.
Mike Boyle – El Mundo
Jay West – Jay West and Co
Michael Coe – Highland Morning
Wayne Sweeney – Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen
Eric Morris – University of Louisville Club
Nicholas Robey – Renshoku Ramen
The Pete Foundation Mission: Rally communities to champion youth mental health and wellness through normalizing the topic, promoting education and providing tools for healthy emotional development.
About NAMI Louisville: NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
