But this wasn’t a sordid afternoon delight. Ms. Bourdain, 34, is a mixed martial arts fighter, an aspirant to the league of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and she was training, as she does nearly every day, at the Renzo Gracie Academy on West 30th Street.
Ms. Bourdain is a petite auburn-haired Italian with a wide smile and what looks to be no body fat. She is the straight punch to her husband’s exuberant looping swings: lean, mean and disciplined. But as widely exposed as Mr. Bourdain is (his show is one of the Travel Channel’s highest rated), she has thus far been seen only in glimpses. “I hate being on TV,” she said. Now Ms. Bourdain is ready to step out from her husband’s long shadow.
