Renowned celebrity chef and James Beard Award-winner, Eric Ripert is an author, as well as the chef and co-owner of acclaimed restaurant Le Bernardin—holding its Michelin three-star rating for 11 consecutive years with four-star reviews from The New York Times—in Manhattan, New York City. Ripert’s passion for cooking was instilled from an early age; the process of cooking, the presentation and tantalizing meals that followed seemed magical to young Ripert. He left home in his mid-teens to pursue his calling in the culinary arts, and by his 20s, he had already worked with some of the most renowned French chefs, including Joël Robuchon, Jean-Louis Palladin and Gilbert Le Coze. Furthermore, Ripert is the vice-chairman on the board of directors for City Harvest—working to bring together New York’s top chefs and restaurateurs to raise funds and increase food donations to New York’s neediest. When not in the kitchen, Ripert enjoys good scotch, as well as peace and quiet.