Chef Eric Ripert is, along with Maguy Le Coze, one half of Three MICHELIN Star Le Bernardin and the 2022 MICHELIN Guide New York Mentor Chef Award winner. When the definitive history of NYC's dining scene is written, Le Bernardin will have a chapter all to itself; it is one of only five Three Star restaurants in New York, and one of only 13 in the US.
Chef Ripert began his career at age 17 at One MICHELIN Star Tour d'Argent in Paris before coming to New York in 1991. Chef Ripert has been working with City Harvest, now as vice chairman, for nearly 30 years, working with NYC's largest food rescue organization to pick up and distribute 75 million pounds of food annually to New Yorkers in need.
As part of the 2022 MICHELIN Guide New York Star Revelation, Ripert chatted with us about his own mentors and his important work with City Harvest.
Do you remember how it felt when you worked in your first professional kitchen?
When I was first in the kitchen at Tour D’Argent, it was a combination of being very scared and stressed as well as fascinated by the size of the kitchen team. It was a very humbling experience.
Do you have any chef mentors?
Every chef I worked with since La Tour D’Argent has been a mentor and taught me different aspects of what to master. At La Tour D’Argent, I learned the basics, discipline, and skills. With chef Joël Robuchon, I learned the same skills with more rigor and also learned a lot of details that made contemporary cuisine exciting at the time. With chef Jean-Louis Palladin, at The Watergate Hotel, I learned creativity. With chef Gilbert Le Coze, I learned all of the above and how to manage a budget and large kitchen brigade.
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Being a chef is tough. What would you say to young chefs who may be feeling burnt out? To young chefs, my advice would be to immediately question your passion for cooking. It is important to decide if it is something you really want to do because it is physically and mentally challenging. I recommend being very disciplined with your lifestyle to make sure you recharge when out of the kitchen. I recommend having a short, medium, and long term goal to concentrate all energy to achieve what you are trying to accomplish.
You're heavily involved in philanthropy. How did you start working with City Harvest?
I started working with City Harvest in the mid-90s. I was looking for an organization that was efficient that could help people in need. City Harvest was perfect because it rescued food that goes to waste and distributes it throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We have worked with them at Le Bernardin ever since, and are still very involved. I am the vice chair of the board of the organization.
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Hero image: Le Bernardin co-owner/chef Eric Ripert © Nigel Parry/Le Bernardin
