Early Life and Family
Anthony Bourdain was born in New York City, to Gladys and Pierre Bourdain (d. 1987). He grew up in Leonia, New Jersey. Bourdain's paternal grandparents were French; his paternal grandfather emigrated from Arcachon to New York following World War I. Bourdain's mother worked for The New York Times as a staff editor. Bourdain graduated from Englewood School for Boys in 1973 and attended Vassar College before dropping out after two years; he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978.
Bourdain married his high school girlfriend, Nancy Putkoski, in the 1980s. They remained together for two decades before divorcing; Bourdain has cited the irrevocable changes that come from traveling widely as the cause of the split. He resides with his second wife, Ottavia Busia, whom he wed on April 20, 2007. Together, they have a daughter, Ariane, born on April 9, 2007. Busia has appeared in several episodes of No Reservations: notably the episode on Sardinia, her birthplace; the Tuscany episode, in which she plays a disgruntled Italian diner; the Rome episode; the Naples episode; and the Rio de Janeiro episode, wherein she displays her skills in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
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