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The wit and wisdom of Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
The evening began with the dignified and soft-spoken Ripert sitting in a small chair center stage as Bourdain, at times aping Stephen Colbert’s mock indignation, engaged the French-born chef in a battle of wits that was part roast, part interrogation. After about 15 minutes, the roles were reversed, and the tall Bourdain folded himself into the chair while Ripert ribbed the former Les Halles chef and TV star.
After the quid pro quo, the two took to some more size-appropriate leather chairs, Austin Beerworks in hand, and engaged on a variety of topics, from Paula Deen to cigarette smoking to the next big trend in cooking.
Evidenced throughout was not just the expected charm and intelligence of the beloved celebrity culinarians, but also the genuine warmth of friendship and a clear mutual respect. Below are some of the highlights from the evening.
- Ripert is no fan of Gordon Ramsay’s TV show, saying that the celebrity chef from the U.K. should be “full of shame” for the violence and abuse shown in the kitchens on his show. Bourdain asked about Ripert’s modu operandi in the kitchen, and the Le Bernardin chef said that while he used to be nasty in the kitchen, about 16 years ago he realized that his practices in the kitchen were making him unhappy, so he decided to change his ways, keeping insults and abrasiveness out of his repertoire.
- Bourdain made fun of Ripert for allowing Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney eat at Le Bernardin and got the chef to admit to the one person who he will not serve in his restaurant — John McEnroe. Apparently the former infant terrible hurt Ripert’s feelings once on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
- Bourdain is a well-documented recovering drug addict, though he still drinks his fair share. But he didn’t just quit drugs. The bad boy chef kicked cigarettes four-and-a-half years ago when his daughter was born. He admitted last night to having smoked two packs a day for 38 years.
- While he would not name a favorite restaurant, Bourdain said the restaurant in Austin at which he had the best time on his last visit was the Old School BBQ bus.
- Known for his skewering of celebrity chefs, Bourdain mostly took it easy on his peers Wednesday night, though he did say he had a “deeply terrifying confrontation” with Sandra Lee, and he refuses to asperse Rachael Ray, in part because she is a fan of the New York Dolls.
- Bourdain made quite a few headlines when he criticized Paula Deen for paid promotion of a diabetes drug while promoting incredibly unhealthy food to Americans. The usually bold Bourdain seemed humbled by the outrage he caused, saying, “When Fox News and The New York Times op-ed are dropping a deuce on you on the same day, that’s a lonely place to be.” He did make note of Ripert’s friendship and support during that tough time. All that said, he did take a few digs at Deen, calling her an industry, not an underdog. Southern cooking is our original cooking, Bourdain said, and following her years of promoting unhealthy food and now getting pharmaceutical money, that “a little shame would be appropriate” for Deen.
- Ripert lauded Cesar Ramirez and says he believes the future of fine dining would be less baroque and echo the style of Japanese culture. Ripert says he thinks beef is going to have a resurgence, with chefs focusing on cheap cuts, and that Asian ingredients will become very popular in America.
- Bourdain thinks that some of the best and least-appreciated food in the world is coming out of Baja Mexico and calls the cuisine in that area his dark horse for becoming a major culinary influencer.
- As for what they did in Austin, Bourdain said he got in just hours before the show and was leaving in the morning. The two men ate at Lambert’s, and Bourdain said he would be returning in several weeks to film an episode for his TV show. One assumes the taping will likely occur while Bourdain is in town for SXSW, where he will appear at the interactive conference.
- If you see Ripert at a bar and want to buy him a drink, take note: the chef’s order of drink preference goes red wine, tequila, scotch and bourbon. Bourdain tweeted after the show that he had introduced Ripert to the wonders of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.
- During the Q&A, an audience member asked how the men liked their eggs. For the record, Ripert likes his sunny-side-up, while Bourdain likes one soft-boiled and spread over a good hunk of blood sausage.
- Asked if they could move to another country to spend the rest of their lives, Ripert said he would choose Brazil, while Bourdain would head to his wife’s native country, Italy.
- As for guilty food pleasures, Ripert said, “Whatever I eat, there is no guilt.”
Photo: Martha Stewart,left, talks with chefs Eric Ripert,center, and Anthony Bourdain,right, for a live broadcast of her SIRIUS XM interview series “At Martha’s Table” on Martha Stewart Living Radio in New York in February 2009. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini). Small photo: Ripert backstage at the Paramount with a can of Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle IPA, taken from Bourdain’s Twitter feed.
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By Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan
February 9, 2012 3:47 PM | Link to this
Thanks so much for sharing your take on the conversation last night! I couldn’t attend, and I was bummed to miss it. Sounds like it was a hoot, as usual.
By Pam Picard
February 9, 2012 4:05 PM | Link to this
Love those guys. How did I miss this event?