Avec Eric: A Conversation with Eric Ripert (Can be combined with a culinary demo)
From his early food passions as a child in Antibes, France and the country of Andorra, from culinary school at age 15 to cooking at La Tour D’Argent in Paris, Eric Ripert has stories to tell. He served as chef poissonier under legendary chef Joël Robuchon, moved to the U.S. in 1989 to be sous-chef to Jean-Louis Palladin, and served briefly with David Bouley before being recruited to Le Bernardin as chef in 1991. In 1995, Le Bernardin received four stars from The New York Times – and it has kept them through four reviews over two decades. Let him entertain your audience with his culinary lore.

On the Line: Growing a Business
Eric Ripert knows more than how to build an exquisite meal: he knows how to build a business. The ingredients include a unique system of training and mentoring his staff, an ability to extend a brand without sacrificing quality, a robust media and social media strategy, and a keen awareness of the need for constant reinvention in a competitive market. His quest: perfection, and a workplace where enduring creativity is rewarded. His careful decisions in the light of the global recession show his brilliance.

Branding Secrets
“I envision and manage Le Bernardin exactly as if I were the director of a fashion house,” says Eric Ripert. Since becoming the executive chef at Le Bernardin in 1991, he has shown a genius for reinvention in ways that preserve the logic of the brand. In this talk, he’ll discuss how he stays aware of what is going on around him, pays attention to the culture, encourages new ideas, stokes media interest, and creates an environment that builds the brand. Part of his secret is management: Mentoring a team so that his brand vision is reflected in the smallest details. “If you simply follow the trends, you don’t have an identity,” he says. “Building a brand comes with a certain wisdom that you accumulate in your field over the years.” In this talk, he’ll share that brand-building wisdom.

Good vs. Evil: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
Two Chefs. Two Unlikely Friends. Two Very Different Careers. Two Very Different Philosophies. Good and…Evil? The chefs engage in a free, frank, and provocative back and forth about the restaurant business – from both ends of the spectrum. It includes highlights from Eric’s career and lurid lowlights from Tony’s career. As Boston’s Chowder blog put it, “They bicker. They jab. They debate one another on food and life.” The frequent tag team has appeared together since 2010, on stages spanning from Seattle to Boston, Austin to Detroit. Both have been regular judges on “Top Chef.” They have little else in common, other than friendship. (Eric introduced Tony to his wife.)

Master Cooking Class: Fish (Can be a stand-alone talk, or combined with a culinary demo)
“I love being a chef,” says Eric Ripert. In his quiet, demystifying style, he inspires the audience to cook exquisite meals, such as perfect fish. At Le Bernardin, the motto is: “Fish is the star of the plate.” Many Americans are intimidated by fish – how to buy fish that is fresh and safe and sustainable, how to prepare and cook it. This talk/demo will include tips on organizing a meal, buying, preparing, and serving fish, including the 5 best techniques for cooking fish and what elevates the fish on the plate. The talk can also be tailored to the audience’s interest and include tips on how to cook just about anything well, how to shop, what to buy, and how to organize your kitchen on a daily and weekly basis so you can cook successfully without a struggle – whether for yourself, for a party or family gathering, or for a restaurant.