José Andrés and Eric Ripert Declare June 25 'Bourdain Day' to Honor Late Friend

On Thursday morning, longtime pals and world-famous chefs Eric Ripert and José Andrés posted a video on Twitter. While holding Spanish porron wine pitchers, the chefs announced that June 25 would be Bourdain Day—a day memorializing their late friend Anthony Bourdain on what would have been his birthday. They encouraged fans and friends of Bourdain, who died on June 8, 2018, to post their favorite memories of him and to celebrate his legacy.

"June is a very important month," said Ripert. "On June 25, we are all going to celebrate the birthday of our dear friend and beloved Anthony Bourdain." Andrés then "translated" Ripert's remarks into Spanish, saying them in his thick accent. (The two have a long-running gag of mocking each other's nationalities.)

Soon after posting the video, the hashtag #BourdainDay began trending on Twitter, with food personalities like Scott Conant and Ted Allen tweeting the video.

To coincide with #BourdainDay, the Culinary Institute of America has announced plans to introduce a new scholarship in Bourdain's honor, supporting students interested in following in the chef's footsteps with an "international culinary experience" or semester abroad. According to a release, full scholarship information will be announced in mid-June.

In April, Bourdain was honored at the James Beard Media Awards, where his hit CNN show, Parts Unknown, won for visual and technical excellence. A book memorializing Bourdain—Anthony Bourdain Remembered—debuted on May 28, with words from Barack Obama, Andrés, Ripert, Jill Filipovic, Ken Burns, Questlove, and more.

“These remembrances give us a glimpse of Tony’s widespread impact through his political and social commitments; his dedication to travel and eating well (and widely); and his love of the written word, along with his deep compassion, open-mindedness, and interest in lives different from his own,” reads the book's description.