Rick Stein shocked after death of fellow chef Anthony Bourdain

If he had his time over again, Rick Stein believes he may have been able to save his good friend and fellow celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. His death rocked the world and Stein in particular who were both from the same tiny French town.

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If he had his time over again, Rick Stein believes he may have been able to save his good friend and fellow celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.

The host of popular television show No Reservations was one of the world’s most celebrated chefs before he took his own life in June.

His death rocked the world but it hit particularly close to home for Stein who not only knew Bourdain well but was in the same tiny French town — a population of just 5000 people — when he died.

“I was really shocked about Anthony Bourdain because I know him quite well,” Stein told The Daily Telegraph.

Rick Stein was shocked by the death of Anthony Bourdain. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Bourdain took his own life in a small French town. Picture: AFP Photo/Getty North America/Craig Barritt

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“It was really weird because we happened to be filming in the same little town where he took his life in Kaysersberg.

“I didn’t even know he was there filming, but I just sometimes think maybe if I’d met up with him in a bar somewhere I could have cheered him up.”

Stein knows all to well that chefs were suffering mental health problems, admitting it’s a “tough industry”, but claims he was shocked when he realised Bourdain was suffering.

Stein is often in the country with his Australian wife Sarah Burns. Picture David Dyson

“I was surprised about Anthony because he just seemed to be so sane,” he said.

Stein and Bourdain both rose to fame in a similar way on TV.

They both had shows based on food and travel and often featured the cuisines associated with different cultures.

“It is a very tough industry because of the long hours and the stress,” Stein said.

“But the other suicide in chefs was some time ago, he lost a Michelin star and took his own life I think because of the economic outfall of losing a star in France.

“He had three and went down to two.

“That’s appalling, I think people can take it all a bit seriously. My attitude has always been that cooking and restaurants are about having fun and allowing your customers to get away from their own head and worries.”

Stein owns two Bannister restaurants in NSW.

Stein spends a lot of time in Australia — his wife Sarah is Australian — and he owns two Bannisters restaurants in NSW.

He is currently in Sydney for his Rick Stein Live On Stage show at the State Theatre.

The show will focus on food and the hospitality industry and not taking it all so seriously — something he believes has contributed to the poor mental health of kitchen staff.