Eric Ripert is one of the classiest chefs
to hit the culinary scene in recent memory.
Born in Antibes, France, Ripert developed
a passion for cooking at a young age and became
an internationally renowned chef while he
was still in his 20s.
Ripert also hosts the PBS show Avec Eric,
frequently judges on Top Chef, and has authored
several books.
The chef is also known for his enduring friendship
with Anthony Bourdain.
It was Ripert who discovered Bourdain in his
hotel room after he ended his own life on
June 8th, 2018.
The two had been friends for years, with Ripert
making frequent appearances on Bourdain's
shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown.
"We're not going to be good at this.
It's going to be like I Love Lucy."
"Or like Laurel and Hardy."
Casual fans of Bourdain's work may be curious
about Ripert's backstory and their friendship.
Here are a few things you may not know about
chef Eric Ripert.
Early days
Ripert's childhood was a troubled one.
His parents divorced when he was young, and
his father, with whom Ripert was close, died
when he was 11.
His stepfather was a cruel man who mistreated
Ripert.
With Ripert's encouragement, his mother eventually
kicked his stepfather out of the house.
Ripert kept quiet about his childhood for
many years, keeping the details of it even
from his close friends until he published
his memoir, 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table
to Working the Line, in 2016.
After reading his friends' book, Bourdain
told the New York Times,
"I knew it wasn't a happy childhood, but I
had no idea how dark.
You just don't see evidence of that darkness."
Ripert left home to attend a culinary boarding
school at the age of 15 and never looked back.
He told Inc.
"It was emotionally difficult, but the excitement
of going to culinary school, being accepted
in the program, and being able to cook, which
was my passion already at the time, was so
strong."
Mother knows best
One of Ripert's earliest cooking role models
was his mother, who went the extra mile to
give her family memorable meals, and to make
the experience feel special.
Ripert told Esquire she would wake up at five
in the morning to make a "great" breakfast,
but that's just the start, saying,
"[She also prepared] lunch and dinner and
appetizer, main course, cheese, dessert on
a different table cloth, a different china
platter, different flower arrangements and
candles at night.
I thought every kid in the world was eating
like me, but it wasn't the case."
A former "angry chef"
Ripert publicly denounces chefs like Gordon
Ramsay who are notorious for shouting at people.
Ripert scolded Ramsay for his antics in a
now-deleted tweet, writing,
"Nothing personal against Gordon Ramsay but
he is a poor inspiration for professional
chefs in his shows.
Ultimately I believe in the goodness of Gordon
but he is very wrong."
While Ripert typically displays a calm demeanor
these days, there was a time when he, too,
had a quick temper.
The chef told Foodion that when he was younger,
he was more prone to acting out of anger.
"One day I realized that when I was in a bad
mood, people around me were not happy [either].
It is not possible to be angry and happy at
the same time, and happiness is never born
from anger."
Buddhism changed his life
Ripert grew up in a Christian home knowing
very little about Buddhism until reading a
book about Tibet in 1989, which led to him
reading a book by the Dalai Lama.
Ripert told Buddhist magazine Tricycle that
what he learned was a "revelation."
The chef has since applied Buddhist teachings
to his life as well as to his kitchen, telling
the magazine,
"It gives me respect for the lives of the
products that we are using, and I try to create
an environment that is as peaceful as I can
and to promote Buddhist principles of tolerance
and compassion."
Success on his terms
Unlike many famous chefs who have a string
of restaurants, Ripert is content with having
just one, the acclaimed Le Bernardin in New
York City.
He told Esquire,
"Maybe [other chefs would] be bored to death
in my situation.
I would be stressed to death in their situation.
But every day I walk in Central Park.
I see my family.
I see my team.
It makes me happy.
I don't want to be in an airport and flying
to one place to another."
Ripert's personal idea of success is simple:
He just wants to be happy.
He told Inc.,.
"I think about a level of contentment that
brings balance."
While Ripert has dedicated quite a bit of
his life to his career, he says he makes sure
not to spend too much time working.
The chef also pays his success forward by
giving back to the community.
"You cannot be successful and look at people
around you that are in need and not share.
That doesn't make sense."
Best friends
Ripert's friendship with Anthony Bourdain
was one of the most notable in the industry.
The cooking world can be cutthroat and competitive,
but Ripert and Bourdain managed to strike
up a friendship based on mutual respect and
trust.
Ripert explained his rapport with Bourdain
on the official Parts Unknown blog:
"It's very simple.
We're very good friends.
We laugh and it's comfortable because we can
be calm, and sometimes we don't speak at all
and we'll be happy together.
I think he likes that a lot."
Ripert added that Bourdain liked to push his
limits, especially as Ripert is a notoriously
relaxed person.
"I am there to make him [Bourdain] look good,
[so] he makes me suffer eating things I am
uncomfortable with.
[...] No matter what, I really understand
the spirit of his show; it is his show, he's
the hero of the show."
Bourdain's untimely death at the age of 61
had a profound impact on Ripert.
He wrote on Facebook,
"Anthony was my best friend.
He was an exceptional human being, so inspiring
and generous.
One of the great storytellers of our time
who connected with so many.
I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my
heart."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal
thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
That's 1-800-273-8255.
