As food writer Joshua David Stein prepares to convert by taking the Vow of Refuge, he checks back in with Eric Ripert, the man who inspired him
The back wall of Le Bernardin, one of the world’s top fine dining destinations, is occupied by a 24-foot-wide painting of a roiling ocean called Deep Water No 1. The painting was placed there by the restaurant’s co-owner and chef Eric Ripert five years ago when the restaurant was renovated. Ripert bought the painting in 2011, nearly 20 years after he took over as head chef.
One might imagine the four stars from the New York Times, the three from the Michelin Guide, the white linen tableclothes, the sommelier with his silver tastevin around his neck and the oligarchic patrons might occasion staid flower oil paintings. But that’s not Ripert’s style at all.
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