JOB: Chef of the haute seafood mecca Le Bernardin. In his 14 years on the job, Ripert, 44, has seemingly harvested every gastronomic distinction there is, including three stars from Michelin and myriad James Beard Awards.
The serene dining room of the West 51st Street restaurant abuts its hot, chaotic kitchen. Dark, subterranean hallways snake underneath both, ending in a warren of offices nestled in the building’s belly. This is where Ripert escapes the heat of the kitchen to do research and menu development, field calls, create recipes and meld minds with his partner, owner Maguy Le Coze.
Décor: The tiny space, barely big enough to accommodate Ripert’s fit 6-foot-2 frame, is filled with dozens of Buddhas, ranging in height from 1 inch to 4 feet. The chef’s been a Buddhist for 20 years.
“I’m not supposed to collect them like this [according to the religion], but there are worse crimes,” he says in his pronounced French accent.
“They remind me to apply
principles of kindness. Sometimes I forget. This is part of my reform.”
Desk: A long desk, which extends from one corner of the room to the other, does double duty, serving as Ripert’s work space on one end and as that of his marketing guru, Mandy, on the other. A half-eaten pain au raisin sits in the middle.
“The office is about collaboration,” he says.
Ripert writes all his ideas — from menu items to cookbook intros to staffing notes — longhand, then Mandy decodes them and types them into the computer.
“Some don’t make sense even to me,” he admits.
Ripert employs his mini- tablet PC exclusively to Skype with his 6-year-old son, Adrien — a daily ritual, since he doesn’t get home until long after bedtime.
Detritus: Although Buddhas dominate, Ripert also has a Hindu Ganesh, a Jewish silver charm and a blue angel, a gift from his Catholic wife. Nondenominational good luck trinkets abound as well — a Peruvian figurine, a seven of clubs (the card Ripert stepped on when Michelin called to give Le Bernardin its top rating), a Turkish amulet to protect against the evil eye.
What’s with all the superstition? Ripert shrugs. “It’s definitely not Buddhist. I’m working on it.”
A corkboard on the wall has a list of endangered species that are off-limits for Le Bernardin’s menu. Alongside are bits of paper with poems written on them, collected by Ripert from a poet who visits the restaurant twice a week.
Current projects: The master chef spends most of his office time changing the menu. “It’s a yearlong process,” he says. He also oversees his other restaurants in the Caymans, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Ripert, who’s appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” is also working on his own show, “Avec Eric,” scheduled to kick off in the fall on PBS.
Routine: He meditates every morning, then leaves his Upper East Side home and walks 45 minutes through Central Park to get to the restaurant, “no matter the weather.” Monday through Friday he’s in by 11 a.m., and works until 11 p.m., staying well-fueled with espresso and food from the menu. “I’m served like a client. It’s the best way to see what’s going on.”
While the demands of celebrity chefhood eat up a growing number of hours, he says 70 percent of his time is still spent alongside a stove.
“It’s a tough balance,” he says, “but my priority is to be in the kitchen.”