Laurie Woolever, who served as Anthony Bourdain’s assistant for almost a decade till his tragic passing in 2018, is providing an intimate have a look at their relationship in her upcoming memoir, “Care and Feeding,” set to launch on March 11.
Woolever wasn’t simply managing the schedule of the world’s most well-known touring chef; she co-wrote his books, acted as his publicist, and, as Anthony Bourdain himself joked, was his “Luca Brasi” from “The Godfather.”
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Anthony Bourdain’s Longtime Assistant Laurie Woolever Opens Up In New Memoir
Their shut working relationship naturally advanced right into a deep friendship that also lingers in her goals.
“For years, I’ve had these goals the place he comes again, and it seems that it was only a massive ruse the place he determined to vanish for some time,” she shared, per PEOPLE. “And I’m within the place of serving to him get reacclimated into life.”
Woolever admits she retains a “operating listing” of issues she needs she might inform him.
“Wouldn’t it’s nice if that dream was actual? And I received to be the one to say, ‘Dude, there was a pandemic in 2020.’ And ‘You wouldn’t imagine what’s taking place with international politics proper now. There’s this present ‘Succession’ that I feel you’ll love , and The Bear!’”
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Anthony Bourdain’s Closing Days
All through her time working with Bourdain, Woolever maintained an “energetic journal follow,” which turned a basis for her memoir. She additionally had years of emails and textual content messages with him, all the way in which up till their last alternate in June 2018.
On the time, Bourdain was in Alsace, France, filming an episode of “Elements Unknown.” That very same week, paparazzi photographs surfaced displaying his girlfriend, actress and director Asia Argento, allegedly concerned with one other man.
“We talked about that after which additionally about very regular issues like, ‘Let’s schedule this physician’s appointment,’” Woolever recollects. “It’s laborious to reconcile that he believed he can be again in New York, after which he wasn’t.”
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Laurie Woolever Shares Behind-The-Scenes Media Maneuvers With Asia Argento Romance
Bourdain and Argento went public with their relationship in May 2017, however behind the scenes, Woolever was already managing the media fallout. She recollects how, shortly after an Italian tabloid printed photographs of the couple collectively in Rome, Bourdain known as her with directions to deal with an inquiry from The New York Put up.
“Verbally verify with the reporter that it’s true, nothing extra, and don’t go away any fingerprints that this data got here from our camp,” he informed her. The profitable execution of this activity, she admits, was the “spotlight of my week.”
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Laurie Woolever Reveals Failed Romantic Gesture And Closing Heartbreak
As their relationship intensified, Woolever noticed firsthand how devoted Bourdain was to Argento, usually sending her fastidiously curated presents, together with a big field of vinyl information chosen from report shops round New York. However the gesture didn’t land as he had hoped.
When the package deal arrived in Italy, surprising import duties and customs paperwork turned it into an inconvenience relatively than a romantic shock. Argento, irritated by the trouble, despatched it again.
By June 2018, their relationship was dealing with intense public scrutiny. Woolever recounts receiving a Google alert about paparazzi photographs of Argento kissing a French journalist. Quickly after, The Nationwide Enquirer reached out for remark.
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When she requested Bourdain how he wished to reply, he was clear, “Ignore it, and ignore any comparable queries from different pubs. However let me know when the Enquirer piece drops.”
Heartbreaking Final Messages Earlier than Tragedy
Regardless of the emotional pressure, Bourdain was nonetheless planning. He requested Woolever to schedule a lunch, a haircut, a health care provider’s appointment, and a non-public jiu-jitsu session for when he returned to New York. That evening, she despatched him a easy textual content: “I hope you’re doing OK.”
His reply was, “I’ll dwell, and we’ll survive.”
Woolever assumed “we” referred to him and Argento, that regardless of the turmoil, they might push by means of.
Then, at 4:25 a.m. the subsequent morning, her telephone buzzed. It was Kim, Bourdain’s agent.
“Tony has taken his life,” she informed Woolever.
His sudden loss of life got here at a second of non-public upheaval for Woolever as properly, as simply three weeks earlier, she and her husband had determined to separate after he found she was having an affair. “A one-two punch,” she stated.
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By means of “Care and Feeding,” Woolever affords an unfiltered have a look at the person she merely known as Tony: his brilliance, his struggles, and the ultimate moments of a life that left an indelible mark on the world.
