the take
blackened is such an overdone trend that when Tony made a big deal of it, our first thought was, that's a little trite for Tones. but then we wondered if it's like vodka sauce. everybody does it now, but if you were the first one, you'd be like, no no no, i've been doing this. the movie focused on it too much for there to be nothing there. so did he start it off? we need to go back and check.
this is the hosts' commentary and speculation for entertainment, not a statement of fact about anyone in it.
the backstory
Tony is A24's 2026 movie about Anthony Bourdain's first summer working in a restaurant kitchen, directed by Matt Johnson and loosely based on stories from Bourdain's 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential. Dominic Sessa plays the 19-year-old Bourdain, and Antonio Banderas plays his mentor, known only as Chef. It opened in theaters on August 7, 2026, and has been available to rent or buy on digital since September 15.
The blackened moment the hosts mean is a fishermen's feast on the beach, where freshly caught bass gets grilled over an open flame until it chars and Chef teaches Tony that black doesn't always mean burnt. The movie is set in 1975.
So did Bourdain start the trend? Not really. Blackening as a named technique was made famous by Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme, who first served blackened redfish at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in March 1980, years after the summer the movie is set in. It got so popular that blackened chicken, catfish and steak became menu staples all over the US. The hosts' vodka sauce comparison holds up.
where it's from
transcript
auto-transcribed from the clip audio. speakers aren't labeled and there may be small errors.
- 0:00I do feel like blackened is such an overdone trend, so I actually need to go back and see, like, was Anthony Bourdain one of the first people to do blackened?
- 0:10Right. Exactly.
- 0:11Because at this point, it's so overdone that I was kind of like, oh, that's a little trite for Tones.
- 0:16Exactly. They made a big deal of it, and I was like, wait, did you do this?
- 0:19No, I'm wondering. Are you responsible for blackened cod?
- 0:23Exactly. Like, did he start it off?
- 0:25It's kind of like how now everything is, like, vodka sauce.
- 0:29But if you did it first, you would be like, no, no, no, like, I've been doing this.
faq
- Is Tony a true story?
- It's based on Bourdain's real first restaurant summer, as told in Kitchen Confidential, but it's dramatized, and Chef is a composite of several chefs who inspired him.
- Who invented blackened fish?
- Chef Paul Prudhomme made it famous with blackened redfish, first served at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in March 1980.
- Where can I watch Tony?
- In the US it's available to rent or buy on digital, including Apple TV and Prime Video, since September 15, 2026. It isn't on a subscription streaming service yet.
