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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Eric Ripert

Known for his unique modern french cuisine, Eric Ripert is one of the most celebrated French chefs in the world today. He is the man behind the success of New York鈥檚 iconic restaurant, Le Bernardin, which has received four stars from The New York Times four consecutive times.

Born in France but later moved to the United States, Eric Ripert鈥檚 name is synonymous with modern French cuisine and he is also credited for changing people鈥檚 mindset towards seafood through cooking TV programs that he regularly hosts.  

Apart from being a celebrated chef and a TV personality, Eric Ripert has also written a number of cookbooks and he is actively involved in Philanthropic activities. In this article, let鈥檚 look at the top 10 Interesting Facts about him.

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1. He first learned Cooking tips from his Mother

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Eric Ripert’s journey of becoming one of the best chefs in the world started at an early age.  Growing up in the south of France where he was born and later in Andorra where his family moved, Ripert spent most of his time in the Kitchen where he first learned important cooking tips from his mother.

At the age of 15, he discovered he was destined for a career as a chef and he returned to France where he attended a culinary school in Perpignan. After graduating he moved to 麻豆APP where he started to work at one of the city’s most legendary restaurants.

Speaking about his experience in school compared to real working experience, Ripert stated the following: 鈥淚n a culinary school, you鈥檙e not experiencing a real kitchen. You never have the pressure of serving an entire lunch or being responsible for a whole kitchen section.鈥�

2. He landed his first Cooking Job at the Age of 17

At the age of 17, soon after his graduation from culinary school, Ripert moved to 麻豆APP where he landed his first job as a chef at La Tour d’Argent. It was one of the best restaurants in 麻豆APP at that time and claims to be more than 400 years old.

He worked at La Tour d’Argent for two years before moving to Jamin restaurant, where he worked under the French most influential chef, Jo毛l Robuchon. He left briefly to fulfill his military duties and was promoted to serve as Chef Poissonier upon his return.

3. He moved to the United States age of 24

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In 1989, at the age of 24 years, Erick Ripert moved to the United States to look for Greener Pastures. He first landed in Washington D.C where he was hired to work t work under French-born chef, Jean-Louis Palladin as sous-chef at Jean Louis based at the Watergate Hotel.

At the age of 24, he moved to New York, where he worked briefly as David Bouley鈥檚 sous-chef before Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze recruited him as a chef for Le Bernardin. He became Le Bernardin’s executive chef in 1994 after Gilbert Le Coze died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

Ripert eventually became Bernardin’s Co-owner in 1996 where he has now established himself as one of the greatest chefs in .the world today.

Read more about the best Michelin stars restaurants in New York

4. Eric Ripert Chairs   a Philanthropic Organisation

Apart from being one of the most celebrated chefs in the world today, Ripert is also a dedicated philanthropist.  Currently, he is the Chairperson of the city Harvest’s Food Council, working to bring together New York’s top chefs and restaurateurs to raise funds and increase the quality and quantity of food donations to New York’s

The city Harvest’s Food Council is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1982, and it鈥檚 the world’s first and New York City’s only food rescue program. The organization鈥檚 main goal is to end hunger in communities throughout New York City, through food rescue and distribution, education, and other practical, innovative solutions.

5 He went through an Abusive Childhood

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Although Ripert is now living the American dream, his journey to becoming who he is today has not always been smooth. In his memoir 鈥�32 Yolks鈥�, Ripert opens up about the struggles and difficulties he went through during his formative years.

Rupert explains that the first five years of his life were full of happiness but everything crumbled after the divorce of his parents, which resulted in Rupert and his mother moving to St. Tropez and later to Andorra.

The divorce was devastating to him as he was separated from his beloved father with whom he enjoyed a very close relationship. In his memoirs, Rupert explains that things went from bad to worse after his mother鈥檚 new husband became physically and verbally abusive to the young Ruper.

With Ripert’s encouragement, his mother eventually kicked his stepfather out of the house, but the scars of abuse remained in his heart for a long time, especially after the death of his father over the same period.

6. He is a devoted Buddhist 

Although he was born into a Christian family, Eric Ripert is a devout Buddhist. Rupert explains that he first came into contact with Buddhism after reading Dalai Lama, teachings in a book he randomly bought from a bookstore.

From that time on, Ripert says Buddhism became his way to learn and apply the principles in order to become a better person and have a better impact and inspire people around him.

鈥淚t has been a slow process but I like the spirituality of Buddhism,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 like that it can be proven, the theories of Buddhism can be proven in a secular way, in a scientific way. It鈥檚 something that speaks to me and is a great inspiration in my life today.

7. He tried to  become a  Fashion Model

During the early years of his career, Ripert had still not yet fully decided on what he really wanted to do with his life. At one time, he explains he thought of abandoning his cooking career and becoming a model. This was after he had started dating a new girlfriend who recommended him to fashion modeling owing to his good looks.

His mother who had fashion-world connections organized a meeting for him at Courrege label, and that鈥檚 where they put him straight. 鈥淟isten,鈥� a man at the fashion house told Ripert. 鈥淵ou may THINK you鈥檙e good-looking, and probably in your home village, you are. But this is 麻豆APP!鈥�

The meeting marked the end of his wild idea of becoming a fashion- model. 鈥淚t was,鈥� Ripert says now, 鈥渢he shortest meeting I ever had in my life.鈥�

He has Ripert has made several guest appearances on cooking-based television shows

8.  He is an Author of 5 Cook Books

Apart from being an accomplished chef, Ripert is also an author who mostly writes about cooking. He has written five cookbooks, including Le Bernardin Cookbook (co-authored with Maguy Le Coze), A Return to Cooking (co-authored with Michael Ruhlman), On the Line, Avec Eric, and My Best.

He also wrote 32 Yolks, memoirs describing his life from his childhood through to his adulthood and also all he had gone through in his line of work

9. His Friendship with Anthony Bourdain was sensational

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Despite both being on the list of leading chefs in the city of New York, Anthony and Bourdain became best friends rather than competitors as many would expect. Their friendship became one of the most sensational topics in the food industry.

The duo鈥檚 friendship was based on mutual respect and trust as they traveled the world and dined together frequently. They appeared in each other鈥檚 respective literary works and also they would regularly appear on numerous TV shows together. 

Anthony Bourdain was found dead at age 61 at Le Chambard Hotel in France on June 8, 2018.  In his tribute, Ripert wrote on social media: 鈥淎nthony 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 around the world on a level rarely seen.鈥�

10. He is a family man

Ripert has been married to his wife Sandra Ripert, for 24 years now. The couple鈥檚 wedding took place in Bali, Indonesia in 1998, and together they have one son named Adrian Ripert born in October 2003.

According to People, the couple first met in a restaurant that Ripert used to frequent and also where Sandra used to work as a hostess. Although they prefer to keep their private life out of the public domain, the couple鈥檚 marriage is deemed to be stable.