Éric Ripert

Eric Ripert (rih-pair) (born 2 March 1965 in Antibes) is a French chef, author and television personality specializing in modern French cuisine and renowned for his work with seafood.

Ripert's flagship restaurant, Le Bernardin, located in New York City, has been ranked among the best restaurants in the world by culinary magazines and S. Pellegrino's annual list of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants". It holds the maximum ratings of four stars from The New York Times and three stars from the Michelin Guide.

Biography

Eric Ripert was born in France and learned to cook at a young age from his grandmother. When he was young, his family moved to Andorra, where he was raised. He later returned to France and attended culinary school in Perpignan.

Culinary career

At the age of 17 in 1982 he moved to Paris where he worked for two years at La Tour d'Argent, a famous restaurant more than 400 years old. Ripert next worked at Jamin under Joël Robuchon and was soon promoted to Assistant Chef de Partie. In 1985 Ripert left to fulfill his military service, after which he returned to Jamin as Chef Poissonier.

The Slow Wonder

The Slow Wonder is the debut solo album by A.C. Newman, who is better known as the frontman of The New Pornographers and Zumpano. It was released in 2004 on Matador Records/Last Gang Records.

Reception

The Slow Wonder was met with generally positive reviews as signified by its Metacritic rating of 80 based on 21 reviews. Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media said the album "fits together for a taut 34 minutes without lags or rough spots" and could be "viewed as collection of singles."Allmusic wrote that standout tracks such as new wave sound of Secretarial combined with the sunny power pop of "Miracle Drug" or "On the Table" makes "[The Slow Wonder] essential". In another positive review Rolling Stone said "Newman pens melodies that seem to have sprung from the collective unconscious and then encases them in bright, lush power-pop arrangements."

There were a handful of less than positive views on the album. Alternative Press said the album "sounded like demos" Newman was preparing for a future release. Although Anthony Miccio of the Village Voice wrote "uptempo grins like "On the Table" make denying the pleasantness of it all impossible," he proceeded in criticizing it for just being "pop," and being "just something to zone out to."

Eric

The given name Eric, Erik, or Erick is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr (or Eríkr in Eastern Scandinavia due to monophthongization). The first element, ei- is derived either from the older Proto-Norse *aina(z) meaning "one" or "alone" or from Proto-Norse *aiwa(z) meaning "ever" or "eternal". The second element -ríkr derives either from *rík(a)z meaning "ruler" or "prince" (cf. Gothic reiks) or from an even older Proto-Germanic *ríkiaz which meant "powerful" and "rich". The name is thus usually taken to mean "one ruler", "autocrat", "eternal ruler" or "ever powerful", "warrior", and "government".

The most common spelling in Scandinavia is Erik. In Norway, another form of the name (which has kept the Old Norse diphthong) Eirik is also commonly used. In Finland, the form Erkki is also used. The modern Icelandic version is Eiríkur, while the modern Faroese version is Eirikur. Éric [eʁik] is used in French, and in Germany Eric, Erik and Erich are used.

Although the name was in use in Anglo-Saxon England, its use was reinforced by Scandinavian settlers arriving before the Norman Invasion. It was an uncommon name in England until the Middle Ages, when it gained popularity, and finally became a common name in the 19th century. This was partly because of the publishing of the novel Eric, or, Little by Little by Frederick William Farrar in 1858.

Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Michael Bourdain (born June 25, 1956) is an American chef, author, and television personality. He is a 1978 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and a veteran of numerous professional kitchens, including many years as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles. Though Bourdain is no longer formally employed as a chef, he maintains a relationship with Les Halles in New York. He became widely known for his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. His first food and world-travel television show was A Cook's Tour, which ran for 35 episodes on the Food Network from 2002 through 2003. In 2005 he began hosting the Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure programs Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005–2012) and The Layover (2011–2013). In 2013, he switched to CNN to host Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

Early life

Anthony Bourdain was born in New York City, and grew up in Leonia, New Jersey. His parents were Pierre Bourdain (d. 1987), a classical music industry executive for Columbia Records, and Gladys Bourdain (née Sacksman), a staff editor for The New York Times.

Le Bernardin

Le Bernardin is a Michelin Guide three star, formerly three star Zagat-rated French seafood restaurant located at 155 West 51st Street (between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue), in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It was started in 1972 in Paris by Gilbert Le Coze and his sister Maguy Le Coze under the name Les Moines de St. Bernardin and moved to New York in 1986.

Gilbert le Coze died of a heart attack in 1994, and Eric Ripert succeeded him as the head chef. Signature dishes include kindai maguro (sustainably raised Japanese bluefin tuna), Kobe beef and escolar. Chef Ripert has gone on to open Philadelphia's 10 Arts and Westend Bistro in Washington D.C.

Awards and accolades

In 2009, Le Bernardin was voted 15th best restaurant in the world in the Restaurant magazine Top 50.

Le Bernardin is one of only six restaurants in New York awarded three Michelin stars, and is the restaurant which has held four stars from The New York Times for the longest period of time, having earned the ranking in early 1986.