Our recipes and stories, delivered.

July 31, 2026
This Is TASTE 815: Anthony Bourdain’s Life Was a Movie. Matt Johnson Directed It.
Matt Johnson ARTICLE

Matt Johnson directed the films BlackBerry and the DIY comedy Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie—now he’s taking on Anthony Bourdain. His new film Tony, out in August from A24, skips the traditional biopic format entirely, compressing three formative Provincetown summers described in Kitchen Confidential into one transformative season for a 19-year-old, pre-fame Bourdain. Johnson joins us to talk about adapting a book everyone already loves, directing Dominic Sessa away from doing an impression, and his love for the Canadian rock band Sloan. 

And before that, Matt shares some recent restaurant visits, including stops at Thai Diner, Keens, and Goosefeather

Check out Matt on the podcast Put It In My Mouth.

Matt Rodbard

Matt Rodbard is the editor in chief of TASTE and the author of Koreaworld: A Cookbook, Koreatown: A Cookbook, a New York Times Bestseller, and Food IQ, a Publishers Weekly Bestseller and winner of a 2023 IACP Cookbook Award (Food Issues & Matters)