‘Anthony Bourdain inspired me more than I can express’

Although Anthony Bourdain wasn’t from Michigan, he was an outspoken fan and supporter of the Motor City.
In fact, one of his last projects was “Detroit 1963: Once in a Great City,” a CNN documentary series set to be released this year.
Bourdain is quoted as saying, “I’d love to be able to say that I came from Detroit. That would be like the coolest thing I could ever say.”
News of the death of Bourdain, who lost his life to suicide on Friday at age 61, hit local residents particularly hard.
James Rigato, chef and owner of the Mabel Gray restaurant in Hazel Park, had the chance to meet Bourdain during his book tour last year.
Rigato said of Bourdain, “(He) was a champion of the underdog. He wrote about the average line cook the way Hemingway wrote about bullfighting. His contributions to my generation of chefs will continue to be studied and discussed long after I leave the stove.”

Monica's goal is to raise awareness about suicide and help erase the stigma associated with mental illness. In 2012, she won first place in News Enterprise Reporting by the Michigan Press Association for her series on suicide in the community, and in 2013, was named “Digital Innovator of the Year” by the Local Media Association. In 2019, she received the Ambassador Award from the suicide prevention nonprofit Six Feet Over. She started the blog Meant to Live to help others by sharing signs of depression, reasons to live, resources, suicide and bullying prevention groups, other people’s stories and memorials. She especially wants to show people that they are not alone.

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