Bourdain's love of food was kindled in his youth while on a family vacation in France when he tried his first oyster on a fisherman's boat.Bourdain attended The Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1978.From there he went on to run various restaurant kitchens in New York City, including the Supper Club,One Fifth Avenue, and Sullivan's.He worked in seafood restaurants in Provincetown, Massachusetts, while attending Vassar, which inspired his decision to pursue cooking as a career.He graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School--an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school in Englewood, New Jersey--in 1973, then enrolled at Vassar College, but dropped out after two years.In 1998, Bourdain became an executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles.