Eric Ripert might be the most famous chef you don't know. New Yorkers obsess over his Manhattan hotspot Le Bernardin, but you've probably seen him on TV or hanging out with his famous chef friends, too. Here's everything you've been wondering about the pair's friendship, and Ripert's rise to culinary fame.
1. He was born in France, and that’s where he developed his cooking skills.
Ripert was born in Antibes, France (a small resort town on the French Riviera) in 1965. His grandmother began teaching him to cook at a young age. At just 15-years-old, he went to cooking school in Perpignan, a city in southern France.
2. Ripert scored his first cooking job at 17.
After graduating from culinary schooo, Ripert moved to Paris to work at one of the city’s most legendary restaurants, La Tour D’Argent. Soon, he took another post at Jamin, another famed restaurant with three Michelen stars.
3. He served in the military.
Ripert was called to serve in the French military while working at Michelin three-starred Jamin. After fulfilling his military service, Ripert returned to Jamin under Joel Robuchon to serve as chef poissonier.
4. The chef came to America in 1989.
His first stop was D.C., where he worked as a soul chef at the Watergate Hotel. Three years later, Ripert moved to New York City.
5. Ripert is most famous for his work at New York’s Le Bernardin.
He was recreuited to be the restaurant’s chef in 1991, and just four years later, in 1995, he scored a now-famous 4-star review from the New York Times. The chef was only 29-years-old — but lighting struck twice ten years later: The paper gave Ripert and his restaurant another 4-star rating — the highest possible score.
6. He’s incredibly accomplished.
In addition to the New York Times’ multiple 4-star reviews, Ripert has received accolades from the Michelin Guide, the Zagat Guide, and the James Beard Foundation.
7. The chef is a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef.
He’s been a recurring fixture of the show for many seasons.
8. He met his wife at a restaurant where he was a regular.
Ripert is married to Sandra Ripert (formerly Nieves), and the couple has one son, Adrien. According to People, they met in true food world fashion when Sandra was a hostess at one of Ripert's favorite restaurants. These days Sandra works as a financial associate at J.P. Morgan. The couple wed in Bali in 1998.
9. Ripert and Anthony Bourdain were best friends.
Bourdain wrote complimentary passages about the French Chef in his 2001 breakout book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. “I called him and said, 'I read your book, and I would love to know you. Would you come for lunch?' That was the first time I met Anthony, and we have been friends ever since,” Ripert told Hamptons Magazine.
10. Ripert appeared on Bourdain’s TV shows many times.
The first appearance was on A Cook’s Tour in 2002. The pair — along with a few other friends — visited Napa Valley. Eventually, Bourdain launched his most famous show, No Reservations, and Ripert has many cameos. In one episode, Bourdain visited Ripert at Le Bernardin.
11. Ripert discovered Bourdain after the chef’s alleged suicide.
On Friday, June 8, 2018, CNN reported that Bourdain was found unresponsive in his hotel room in France by Ripert.
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