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.