• Ottavia Busia is a businesswoman mixed martial artist and the wife of late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.
• Her net worth is estimated at over $1 million.
• She was born in Sardinia, Italy but moved to the US for love of a rock band.
• She and Anthony Bourdain had a daughter, Ariane, and remained married until his death in 2018.
• She is a dedicated practitioner of Brazilian jujitsu and manages restaurant businesses.
Who is Ottavia Busia?
Ottavia Busia was born on 11 July 1965, in Sardinia, Italy, and is a businesswoman as well as a mixed martial artist, but perhaps best known for being the wife of late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. The two had been separated for two years before he was found dead, having committed suicide.
The Net Worth of Ottavia Busia
Ottavia Busia’s net worth is estimated at over $1 million – her business endeavors have contributed significantly to her wealth. She also probably benefitted from the success of her husband during the time they were together.
At one point, Bourdain’s net worth was estimated to be over $16 million, but at his death this had apparently shrunk to around $1.2 million.
Life and Career
While Ottavia was born on the island of Sardinia, her family moved to Lombardy where she would grow up. She was initially interested in finding a career in dentistry, and at one point, was even studying for the profession during college. However, after she fell in love with a rock band, she followed them to the US.
After moving to the States she had to make ends meet, and found work in a New York City local restaurant. This started her career in the field, and she spent time in several restaurants until she landed a job with Geisha restaurant. She rose up the ranks to become the general manager, and it was around this time that she met Anthony Bourdain.
Later on, she started practicing mixed martial arts for self-defense and to help develop her body, especially since she had gone through pregnancy. She is known to be a dedicated practitioner of Brazilian jujitsu. She then pursued a career in the field, managing restaurant businesses.
Husband – Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Ws born in New York City, USA, on 25 June 1956 of Jewish descent, but his family was non-religious, not adhering to a single religion. His father worked as a salesman and later became a record executive, while her mother worked as a journalist. He spent most of his youth in New Jersey, but during a vacation in France, he became deeply interested in food. He attended Dwight-Englewood School, and after matriculating enrolled at Vassar College. However, he didn’t complete his education, dropping out to find work in seafood restaurants.
Wanting to pursue a full-time career in the food industry, he enrolled into The Culinary Institute of America, and graduated in 1978. From then on, he worked in several restaurants in New York City, leading him to eventually become the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles two decades later, a position he held for many years, and still maintaining a relationship long after he had left.
In the next few years his fame would rise, as he wrote bestselling books such as “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly”, and “A Cook’s Tour”.
He combined his passion for food with another passion, which was traveling around the world.
Anthony Bourdain’s Latter Career
Bourdain’s first television series had the same title as his book “A Cook’s Tour”, and aired on the Food Network in 2002 and 2003. In the show, he visited countries and cities worldwide to experience the cuisine as well as the culture. A few years later, other networks saw his potential as a travel and food host, and he was hired by Travel Channel to run a show with them entitled “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”. The series had a similar format to “A Cook’s Tour”, and ran for seven years.
He also had another travel and food show with the network called “The Layover”. The series featured what a traveler could do and eat within 24-48 hours in a specific city. Some of the locations he visited included Singapore, Taipei, Paris, Dublin and Atlanta. In 2013, he became one of the judges of the show “The Taste”, remaining with the series for three years until it was cancelled. He then switched networks to CNN, to work on “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”, with a similar format, but featuringd lesser-known places compared to his previous shows.
Star Ferry to Kowloon. Hong Kong @PartsUnknownCNN Sunday Night @AsiaArgento @dukefeng52 pic.twitter.com/eVwm33uTQ6
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) May 30, 2018
Personal Life
Busia and Bourdain had a 22-year age gap, but it didn’t stop them from growing close after initially meeting in New York. She was introduced to him through a mutual friend named Eric Ripert, who was also working at Geisha restaurant at the time. The two even got matching tattoos early in their relationship; they married in 2007 and had a daughter, Ariane together.
In 2016, reports surfaced that their marriage was starting to fall apart, allegedly because of Bourdain’s intensive travel schedule, which saw him away from home for around 250 days a year.
He barely spent any time with his family, causing a strain in their relationship. The camera crew also documented a bit of this drama which led to frustration on Bourdain’s part. They parted in 2016 but never settled a divorce before he was found dead two years later in the apartment he was staying in while in France. At the time, he was traveling to shoot episodes for “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”.
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