At 37, Julia enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, the only woman in a sea of serious (and mostly male) students. Unfazed by their disapproval, she chopped, sautéed, and stirred her way to mastery — laughing through every misstep. Isn't there something so inspiring about that?

Anthony Bourdain was more than a chef. He was a chronicler of life’s great, messy, and exhilarating adventures—armed with a fork, a sharp...