🇺🇸 United States · French cuisine · b. 1965
The Gascon master of seafood whose Le Bernardin redefined French cooking in America.
Eric Ripert was born in Antibes, France, and trained in some of the most prestigious kitchens in Paris, including those of Joël Robuchon and La Tour d'Argent. He moved to New York in 1989 to work at Le Bernardin under Gilbert Le Coze, and when Le Coze died suddenly in 1994, Ripert assumed the role of executive chef — a position he has held for 30 years.
Under Ripert, Le Bernardin has held four stars from the New York Times and three Michelin stars continuously — one of a very small number of restaurants in New York to maintain this distinction for decades. The restaurant is widely considered the finest seafood restaurant in the United States.
Ripert's style is spare and precise: fish and shellfish are the protagonists, and everything on the plate — sauce, garnish, vegetable — serves to amplify rather than mask the flavour of the seafood. His menu is divided into categories — 'Almost Raw,' 'Barely Touched,' 'Lightly Cooked' — that signal his philosophy: the less intervention, the better for the best ingredients.
Beyond the kitchen, Ripert is known for his long friendship with Anthony Bourdain (who was with him in Strasbourg when Bourdain died), his Buddhist practice, and his work with City Harvest and other food charities.
The product is the hero. Ripert insists that the role of a seafood cook is to interfere as little as possible with a perfect piece of fish. His kitchen training is devoted to the judgment of when to stop — when the fish has reached that precise moment of perfect doneness — rather than to technique for its own sake.
Three Michelin stars continuously; four New York Times stars. Considered America's finest seafood restaurant.
Seafood restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.
These recipes from our database reflect the french cooking tradition that Eric works in. They are not direct reproductions of Eric's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
“If I'm going to eat fish, I want it to taste like the sea, not like a sauce.”
— Eric Ripert
Begins training at Jean-Jacques restaurant in Perpignan, France, at age 17.
Joins Joël Robuchon's Jamin in Paris — the most Michelin-decorated restaurant in the world at the time.
Recruited to Washington DC by Jean-Louis Palladin to cook at the Watergate Hotel.
Moves to New York and joins Le Bernardin under Gilbert Le Coze.
Becomes executive chef of Le Bernardin at age 29 after Gilbert Le Coze's sudden death from a heart attack.
Le Bernardin retains its four New York Times stars under Ripert's leadership — a rare continuity in a transition.
Wins James Beard Outstanding Chef Award.
Le Bernardin earns three Michelin stars in the inaugural New York guide; has held them continuously since.
Becomes the on-camera ordained Buddhist student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; begins long association with mindfulness and Buddhist practice.
Publishes 32 Yolks, a memoir about his French childhood and culinary education.
Is with Anthony Bourdain in Kaysersberg, Alsace, when Bourdain dies — Ripert had been filming Parts Unknown with him.
Le Bernardin has held three Michelin stars continuously since the Michelin Guide was launched in New York in 2005. It has also maintained four stars from the New York Times for decades — one of the very few restaurants in New York with this distinction.
Ripert's cooking is minimalist and ingredient-focused. At Le Bernardin, the menu is structured around the degree of cooking applied to each fish — from 'almost raw' preparations to 'lightly cooked' — reflecting his belief that perfect seafood requires as little intervention as possible.
Yes — Ripert and Bourdain were extremely close friends for more than two decades. Ripert appeared frequently on Bourdain's television shows, and the two travelled together professionally and personally. Ripert was in Kaysersberg, Alsace, filming Parts Unknown with Bourdain when Bourdain died in June 2018.
Yes. Ripert is a practising Buddhist and has been a long-time student of the Dalai Lama. He credits his Buddhist practice with shaping the calm, non-confrontational kitchen culture that distinguishes Le Bernardin from the high-volume, high-volatility kitchens common in New York fine dining.
Le Bernardin was founded in Paris in 1972 by siblings Gilbert and Maguy Le Coze, and moved to New York in 1986. After Gilbert Le Coze's sudden death from a heart attack in 1994, Ripert — who had joined as sous chef in 1991 — became executive chef at the age of 29 and has held the role ever since.
Avec Eric is the public television cooking series Ripert hosted from 2009. Filmed in restaurant kitchens, fish markets and Ripert's own home, it won two Daytime Emmy Awards and helped establish Ripert as one of the most recognisable French chefs in American culture.
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