Eric Ripert facts for kids
| Born | Eric Frank Ripert 2 March 1965 Antibes, France |
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| Education | Culinary school in Perpignan, France |
| Spouse | Sandra Nieves |
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Eric Ripert is a famous French chef, author, and TV personality. He is known for his modern French cuisine, especially dishes made with seafood.
His main restaurant, Le Bernardin, is in New York City. It is considered one of the best restaurants in the world. Le Bernardin has been ranked number one on "La Liste" since 2022. It has also received the highest ratings from The New York Times for over 30 years and three stars from the Michelin Guide.
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Early Life and Learning to Cook
Eric Ripert was born in Antibes, France, which is a town near Nice. He started learning to cook from his mother when he was a child. When his parents divorced, he moved to Andorra with his mother.
His father passed away in an accident when Eric was 11 years old. At 15, Eric left home to attend a special cooking school. This school was in Perpignan, France.
Becoming a Chef
At 17, Eric moved to Paris, France. He worked for two years at a very old and famous restaurant called La Tour d'Argent. After that, he worked at Jamin under a well-known chef named Joël Robuchon. Eric quickly moved up to a higher position there.
In 1989, he moved to Washington, D.C.. He worked as a sous chef at the Watergate Hotel's Jean Louis Palladin restaurant. In 1991, he moved to New York. He briefly worked for another chef before Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze asked him to be the chef at Le Bernardin.
Leading Le Bernardin
In 1994, Eric Ripert became the main chef at Le Bernardin. This happened after Gilbert Le Coze sadly passed away. In 1995, when Eric was just 29, Le Bernardin earned a four-star rating from The New York Times. In 1996, he became a part-owner of the restaurant.
In 2006, Le Bernardin received the highest honor of three Michelin stars. It was one of only four restaurants in New York City to get this award. Le Bernardin has also received four stars from The New York Times six times in a row. This shows how consistently excellent the restaurant has been. Eric Ripert is now known as one of the greatest chefs in New York and the world.
In September 2014, Ripert and Maguy Le Coze opened a new place. It was called Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, named after their wine director. They also expanded Le Bernardin's private dining options around the same time.
Eric Ripert on TV
Eric Ripert has appeared on many cooking TV shows. He was a guest judge and assistant chef on several seasons of Bravo TV's Top Chef. He also appeared in many episodes of shows with his friend, chef Anthony Bourdain. These shows included A Cook's Tour, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
His Own Shows and Appearances
In September 2009, Eric Ripert's first TV show, Avec Eric, started on PBS. It ran for two seasons and won two Daytime Emmy Awards. One award was for "Outstanding Culinary Program" in 2011. The show returned for a third season in 2015 on the Cooking Channel. You can also find it on iTunes and Netflix.
Ripert also created short online cooking videos called "Get Toasted." These videos show how to make quick and easy meals using a toaster oven. He appeared as himself in the TV show Treme on HBO in 2010. He also appeared in the Netflix series Chef's Table in 2017.
Books by Eric Ripert
Eric Ripert has written several popular cookbooks. In 2021, he published "Vegetable Simple." In 2023, he released "Seafood Simple." Both of these books quickly became bestsellers on The New York Times list.
In 2014, he published My Best: Eric Ripert. In 2016, he wrote his life story in a book called 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line. This book also became a The New York Times bestseller. His first cookbook, Le Bernardin – Four Star Simplicity, came out in 1998.
Helping Others
Eric Ripert is very involved in helping his community. He is the vice chairman of the board for City Harvest. This is a large organization in New York City that rescues food and gives it to people in need.
He has also hosted a special dinner and auction for the Tibetan Aid Project. This event helps raise money to give Tibetan-language books to libraries in the Himalayan region. This project has given out almost two million traditional Buddhist texts.
Awards and Honors
Eric Ripert and Le Bernardin have received many awards:
- #1 Restaurant in the World by La Liste (2018, 2022-present)
- Four stars by The New York Times (since 1995)
- Three stars by the Michelin Guide (since 2005)
- World’s 50 Best Restaurants (since 2006)
- Forbes All-Star Eateries: Four stars by Forbes (since 2000)
- AAA Five Diamond by the American Automobile Association (since 2013)
- Mentor Chef Award by the Michelin Guide (2022)
- "Best Restaurant in America" by GQ (1997)
- "Best Food in New York City" by Zagat (2000–2007)
- "Outstanding Restaurant of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation (1998)
- "Top Chef in New York City" by the James Beard Foundation (1998)
- "Outstanding Service Award" by the James Beard Foundation (1999)
- "Outstanding Chef of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation (2003)
Personal Life
Eric Ripert is married to Sandra Nieves, and they have a son named Adrien. Eric is a Buddhist and meditates for an hour every morning.
He was very good friends with chef Anthony Bourdain. Eric was often a guest on Anthony Bourdain's TV shows. Eric Ripert has spoken publicly about how much he missed his friend after Anthony Bourdain passed away in 2018. He also helped promote June 25th (Bourdain's birthday) as Bourdain Day.
