“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 ultimately may 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 fourth edition of A Taste for Life (2024) will take place alongside Four Pegs Smokehouse and Bar (1053 Goss Ave.) in Germantown on Sunday, the 23rd 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.
Now the event has returned to its original June orientation.
- The date is Sunday, June 23, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- More than 40 chefs will offer food samplings, and there’ll be a cash bar (the first drink ticket is included).
- Be sure to join the after party and service industry appreciation event featuring Stone Marshall Cherry Band outside and karaoke inside, with food and drink specials.
- The cost is $50 per person; to purchase tickets, go here.
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 2024
Participating restaurants/chefs as of June 14
Fat Lamb Louisville
River Road BBQ
Four Pegs Smokehouse and Bar
The Fox Den: Billiards, Bites, & Brews
Lou Lou Food + Drink
Eggs Over Frankfort
The House of Marigold
Volare Italian Ristorante
Six Forks Burger Company
Against The Grain
Baked AF
FlavaVille Food Truck
Smør Nordic Bakeri
Le Moo
Happy Belly Bistro
The Kentucky Center
Levy at the Kentucky Exposition Center
Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen
Cast Iron Steakhouse
Brooklyn and The Butcher
Brasserie Provence
Renshoku Ramen
JP’s Outdoor Kitchen
Voodoo Cuisine
North of Bourbon
Ata Restaurant Louisville
Flavor Queen’s Kitchen
Sean Christopher Haggerty
Buck’s Restaurant and Bar
Americana Kitchen
Nami Steakhouse
Biscuit Belly
Owl Creek Country Club
El Mundo
Houston Rose and Lamont M. Bobo
Crushed Ice Catering
Hop Atomica Louisville
Black Rabbit
Monnik Beer Co.
Red Yeti
Hot Buns Food Truck
We Scream Ice Cream
Louisville Mobile Kitchen
The Pete Foundation: Rally communities to champion youth mental health and wellness through normalizing the topic, promoting education and providing tools for healthy emotional development.
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.
