What made Anthony Bourdain more than just a TV host — and why does his work still matter? In this episode of Film Nuts, I sit down with climate journalist and photographer Justin Cook to dig into the lasting legacy of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the CNN docuseries that turned food into a lens for understanding people, place, and power.

Justin breaks down why Bourdain's storytelling never really felt like travel television — it was actual journalism, and really good journalism at that. We talk about the Charleston episode, Waffle House, why the Jerusalem episode hits different right now, and how watching Bourdain sit at a grandma's kitchen table in Gaza and tell a story through food changed the way Justin thinks about his own reporting.

Justin is a solutions journalist covering climate change across the American South, and the parallels between his work and Bourdain's approach are honestly kind of wild. We also get into why there are whale skeletons buried in the Tar River in North Carolina, which I absolutely needed answers to after stalking his Instagram.

This one is about storytelling, journalism, the power of showing up somewhere with genuine curiosity, and yes — a very passionate defense of Waffle House.

Justin's work:
Justin’s Portfolio https://www.justincookphoto.com/
Justin’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justincookphoto/
Origins: Climate Change and Solutions in Princeville, North Carolina, America's Oldest Incorporated Black Town https://www.originsclimatestories.com/
Tide and Time: Sea Level Rise and Solastalgia on
North Carolina's Outer Banks https://stories.pulitzercenter.org/tide-and-time/

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