Eric Ripert Net Worth

What is Eric Ripert's Net Worth?

Eric Ripert is a French chef, television personality, and author who has a net worth of $20 million. Specializing in modern French cuisine, especially seafood, Eric Ripert is the executive chef and co-owner of the three-Michelin star Le Bernardin in New York City, which is among the highest-rated restaurants in the world. Ripert has also appeared on several food-based television shows, and hosted his own series "Avec Eric."

Early Life and Education

Eric Ripert was born on March 2, 1965 in Antibes, France. As a child, his parents divorced, and he subsequently moved to Andorra with his mother. There, he grew up with an abusive stepfather. When he was 15, Ripert moved to Perpignan, France to attend culinary school. He went on to move to Paris at the age of 17.

Culinary Career

The first major restaurant Ripert worked at was the legendary La Tour d'Argent in Paris. After working there for two years, he joined Jamin, where he became an assistant chef de partie. Ripert's time there was interrupted by his military service, but when he returned, he earned a promotion. In 1989, he left Jamin and moved to the United States, becoming a sous-chef at Jean-Louis at the Watergate in Washington, DC. Following his stint there, Ripert went to New York in 1991, where he was hired as David Bouley's sous-chef. Soon, he was recruited by siblings Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze to become head chef of their restaurant Le Bernardin in Midtown Manhattan. Ripert became executive chef following the passing of Gilbert Le Coze in 1994, and in 1996 he became co-owner of the restaurant with Maguy Le Coze. Serving modern French cuisine, with a focus on seafood, Le Bernardin offers a four-course prix fixe dinner as well as a 10-course chef's tasting menu. A vegetarian tasting menu was later added. The restaurant also serves lunch and has a separate lounge menu.

Le Bernardin has consistently been ranked as one of the greatest restaurants in the world by prestigious culinary ranking systems and other publications. For over three decades, it has held the maximum rating of four stars in the New York Times, making it the only New York restaurant to keep that rating without dropping a star for that length of time. In 2005, Le Bernardin earned the maximum three Michelin stars. Later, in 2018 and again in 2022, it was ranked as the number-one restaurant in the world by the French guide La Liste. Among its many other honors, Le Bernardin has won several James Beard Foundation Awards, including Outstanding Restaurant and Best Chef for Ripert. With his co-owner Maguy Le Coze, Ripert opened Aldo Sohm Wine Bar in 2014.

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Television Career

Ripert has appeared prolifically on culinary television shows, including the Bravo reality competition series "Top Chef" and Anthony Bourdain's food travel series "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown." He also hosted his own program, "Avec Eric," beginning in 2009. The show ran for two seasons on PBS and later aired a third season on the Cooking Channel in 2015. During its PBS run, "Avec Eric" won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program. Among his other television appearances, Ripert played himself in some episodes of the HBO series "Treme."

Books

In 1998, Ripert published "Le Bernardin Cookbook," which he co-authored with Maguy Le Coze. He next co-wrote "A Return to Cooking" with Michael Ruhlman; it was published in 2002. With Christine Muhlke, Ripert authored the 2008 book "On the Line: The Stations, the Heat, the Cooks, the Costs, the Chaos, and the Triumphs." He went on to publish his first solo book, "Avec Eric," in 2010. Ripert's subsequent books have included his 2016 memoir "32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line" and the cookbooks "Vegetable Simple" (2021) and "Seafood Simple" (2023).

Philanthropy

Ripert serves as vice chairman of the board of City Harvest, one of the largest food rescue organizations in New York City. Meanwhile, at Le Bernardin, he has hosted the Taste & Tribute benefit dinner and auction in partnership with the Tibetan Aid Project.

Personal Life

With his wife Sandra, Ripert has a son. A practicing Buddhist, Ripert meditates for an hour every morning.

Real Estate

In 1999, Eric Ripert paid $460,000 for a 1.4-acre property in Sag Harbor, New York. In 2018, he completed construction on a custom-built home on the lot. The property is now estimated to be worth between $5 million and $6 million. In Manhattan, Ripert has also owned a Chelsea condo and a luxury Upper East Side apartment, the latter of which he listed for $3.49 million in 2021, but ultimately did not sell. In 2013, he paid $335,000 for a condo in Miami. He listed this unit for sale in 2017 for $412,000. He ultimately did not sell the unit and still owns it today.

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