Famed Chef David Chang Opens Up About De‌‌pres‌si‌on in Wake of An‌th‌o‌ny B‌o‌u‌r‌d‌‌ain’s D‌ea‌t‌h

Chang, in his latest episode of his podcast “The Dave Chang Show,” opens up about dep‌res‌sio‌n and his struggles as he thinks that this is the best way to honor Bo‌ur‌da‌in, who di‌e‌d inside his Kaysersburg, France hotel on June 8 from an apparent s‌ui‌ci‌d‌e at the age of 61.

“I thought the best way to honor Tony would be to talk about my own struggles with dep‌re‌ss‌ion,” the 40-year-old American restaurateur said in his podcast, BravoTV reported. “I recorded it by myself, like two days after I found out that Tony d‌ie‌d. I apologize if you’re a regular on this podcast and you find this s— too dark or too self-indulgent, but if it makes any of you feel a little bit better for seeking help for your own struggles, then it was worth it. I think it was what Tony would want me to do.”

Bourdain was a friend to many people including fellow chefs, celebrities, or just people who enjoyed watching his television shows. Many regarded him as an uncle or a mentor.

The celebrity chef and author touched many lives during his travels for CNN’s “Parts Unknown” and helped many business grow just through his visits.

“The cool uncle, the sage, the oracle, the person that would dole out advice — in many ways he’s been my mentor and my North Star, ’cause he trailblazed a path that would not be available to me otherwise. I am in great debt to him, I miss him so much,” Chang continued in his podcast.

Chang acknowledged that the high cost of health care, particularly for mental health, in the United States is certainly one of the roadblocks that many workers in the country face. He noted that early on in his career, specifically in the early 2000s, ahead of the opening of his restaurant in New York, Momofuku Noodle Bar, his health plan only covered three of his sessions while he had to pay for the fourth one, Eater reported.

His friends who are living outside the U.S., however, do not have to worry about this problem as the government of the country they are living in has robust public health coverage.

As morbid as it sounds, Chang, back then, did not exactly plan what was going to happen beyond 10 years of business. He didn’t expect that he’d be around after the age of 35.

“We were not going to be around in 10 years,” he said. “We weren‘t going to be around in 10 years because I was not supposed to be alive. I made almost every decision like it was going to be a one-way ticket.”

Speaking on a public platform, Chang hopes that this message will help people and encourage them to get help to treat their me‌ntal hea‌lth problems.

“One of the good things is that this is going to not make talking about this kind of stuff so embarrassing and so hidden,” Chang said. “The one thing I really suggest to you, if you haven’t had any help yet, or if you’re trying to find help, or if you need help, is don’t lose hope. You have to hope for a better day.”

Feature Image via YouTube / yootubealator