Teen cancer patient plans Bourdain-style foodie road trip
Some people live to eat, while others eat to live. Ali Allouche does both.
Allouche, a 17-year-old Virginia foodie who is currently undergoing treatment for bone cancer, has just begun a coast-to-coast trip with his mother to check out some of America’s greatest bites, according to Travel + Leisure.
His inspiration? Anthony Bourdain, whose CNN “Parts Unknown” series takes him around the globe to explore foreign cultures and cuisines.
Both Allouche and his mother, Jennifer Danko, watch episodes when he’s at Walter Reed Medical Center.
“Every time we go into the hospital, every time I have chemo, [the show is] like motivation to … keep going and keep my head up and spirits up,” Allouche tells NowThis. “[Bourdain] travels the world and he experiences different foods and different cultures and learns about people. And I was like, ‘Why don’t we do that? Why can’t we do that?’ ” he adds.
“I am incredibly moved and humbled to hear of this and am reaching out to the family to offer any help or guidance or suggestions I can,” Bourdain tells The Post. “I hope as well to meet with the young man at the earliest opportunity. I am deeply touched that my work could inspire someone in this way.”
Because of the teen’s treatment schedule — which includes rounds of chemotherapy and a surgical procedure that will remove the cancerous bone — Allouche and his mom cannot visit all of the restaurants in a single road trip. Instead, they’ll go piecemeal.
This week, the two trekked to Washington, Virginia, where they had a three-hour meal at The Inn at Little Washington. They dined on bison tartare and caramelized Catalan custard with foie gras.
The pair eventually aim to munch on deep-dish pizza at Gino’s East in Chicago, slurp seafood at Boston’s Union Oyster House and check out Grand Central Market in Los Angeles.
“As soon as we started [planning] you could see things start to change,” Danko tells NowThis. “There was something to look forward to — these trips, this planning … So, it’s really been a motivating factor and I think it’s really helped him, and me, to be quite honest.”
Danko set up a GoFundMe page in Augu st to raise cash for airfare and meals. It’s since raised $31,400 of its $35,000 goal — and the attention of other famous chefs.
“While you’re going through your cancer treatment, I’m right there with you,” says celeb chef Robert Irvine in a video message to Allouche. “Whatever you need, make sure you reach out to me … God bless you and be strong.”
Should the mother-son duo complete their US itinerary, they plan to take their travels to Tokyo, where Allouche has his eyes set on the city’s wide array of food.
“Just to be able to sit down and eat a meal and look across the table and see him healthy and happy, eating whatever we’re going to be eating, that’s what I’m looking most forward to,” Danko says.