Todd Bartels, co-writer of the Anthony Bourdain biopic "TONY," will appear at Dogwood Books & Gifts in Greenwich on Friday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m.
His mother, stand-up comedian and Greenwich resident Jane Condon, will conduct the interview. Tickets are $35 and include a paperback copy of Bourdain's memoir "Kitchen Confidential," plus wine, refreshments and charcuterie. Proceeds benefit Neighbor to Neighbor, Greenwich's only dedicated food pantry, which serves roughly 1,000 families across town, according to the Greenwich Free Press.
"TONY," distributed by A24, opened in Los Angeles and New York on Aug. 7 and expanded to wide release on Aug. 21, according to Deadline. The film stars Dominic Sessa as a 19-year-old Bourdain and Antonio Banderas as his mentor chef. Director Matt Johnson co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller, Bartels and Lou Howe.
Set during a 1975 summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the film draws on Bourdain's bestselling memoir to trace the kitchen experiences that launched his career. Bourdain's estate said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that it backed the project because the film depicts a single transformative summer rather than attempting to summarize a life.
Bartels grew up in Greenwich and graduated from Greenwich Country Day School. He studied Buddhism and Hinduism at Harvard and earned an MFA from the NYU Graduate Acting Program before turning to writing. He served as associate director of the Harvardwood Television Program, mentoring young writers.
At the Nov. 20 event, Bartels plans to discuss how he retraced Bourdain's footsteps in Provincetown, the path to getting the script greenlit and behind-the-scenes stories from production.
The event takes place at Dogwood Books & Gifts, 254 East Putnam Ave., inside Christ Church Greenwich. Neighbor to Neighbor, the pantry that will receive the proceeds, saw a 13% jump in clients in the year leading up to August. Board president Adam Leader told the Greenwich Sentinel in August that the organization is "Greenwich's primary food safety net, supporting a thousand families in every district …"
Upcoming community events
- Friday, Nov. 20, 6 p.m. — "A Conversation with Todd Bartels," Dogwood Books & Gifts, 254 East Putnam Ave. $35 per ticket. Proceeds benefit Neighbor to Neighbor.
