'He's An Inspiration': Aspiring Chefs Remember Anthony Bourdain, Reflect On His Culinary Impact

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Anthony Bourdain's death is also having an impact on the culinary community.

In every chop, every stir, every pour, the love of food is unmistakable, especially if you're still in culinary school.

For roughly a dozen aspiring chefs on their last day of classes at the Culinary Tech Center in Midtown, Friday was a day of celebration. The chefs were also celebrating the life of a man who inspired them: Anthony Bourdain.

"I feel like now we have to be the best that we can be as chefs to continue on definitely down his path," student chef Mitzy Quarleff said.

Especially when it meant crossing paths with a chef you looked up to. Jack Chudasama was introduced to the world-famous chef at a restaurant in Delhi.

"I said the cooking is something I love, and he said 'If you love it, go right into it.' And now, hearing this tragedy that happened, it inspires me even more to do what I love," Chudasama told CBS2's Marc Liverman. "I respect the man for what he stood for, what he did. He's an inspiration."

Bourdain connected people with the world, and the world's food.

"He wasn't just about the food, he was about the culture and everything that went with preparing the food, the respect for the food and the people making it," said student chef Sean Toomey. "All that made me want to do is basically shed light on the culture for my country and the food that we make."

These aspiring chefs told Liverman Bourdain had a way of pulling you into his stories. You could almost taste and smell the things he was cooking.

"He would get a hot dog on the street and talk about it the same way he would dining with a political leader. He was just really down to earth," said Toomey.

A new generation hopes to follow in his footsteps, expressing themselves through the dishes they create.

"I remember a line where he said 'Contact and memory plays a powerful role in every meal you have throughout your life,'" Quarleff said. "So you know, that is basically what set me on this path to try to be the best me I could be and make the best meals I could and make everyone happy."

Bourdain's life is now a memory too, but one that lives in these chef's hearts, and on their plates.