NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Hailed by Anthony Bourdain as “heartbreaking, horrifying, poignant, and inspiring,” 32 Yolks is the brave and affecting coming-of-age story about the making of a French chef, from the culinary icon behind the renowned New York City restaurant Le Bernardin.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR
In an industry where celebrity chefs are known as much for their salty talk and quick tempers as their food, Eric Ripert stands out. The winner of four James Beard Awards, co-owner and chef of a world-renowned restaurant, and recipient of countless Michelin stars, Ripert embodies elegance and culinary perfection. But before the accolades, before he even knew how to make a proper hollandaise sauce, Eric Ripert was a lonely young boy in the south of France whose life was falling apart.
Ripert’s parents divorced when he was six, separating him from the father he idolized and replacing him with a cold, bullying stepfather who insisted that Ripert be sent away to boarding school. A few years later, Ripert’s father died on a hiking trip. Through these tough times, the one thing that gave Ripert comfort was food. Told that boys had no place in the kitchen, Ripert would instead watch from the doorway as his mother rolled couscous by hand or his grandmother pressed out the buttery dough for the treat he loved above all others, tarte aux pommes. When an eccentric local chef took him under his wing, an eleven-year-old Ripert realized that food was more than just an escape: It was his calling. That passion would carry him through the drudgery of culinary school and into the high-pressure world of Paris’s most elite restaurants, where Ripert discovered that learning to cook was the easy part—surviving the line was the battle.
Taking us from Eric Ripert’s childhood in the south of France and the mountains of Andorra into the demanding kitchens of such legendary Parisian chefs as Joël Robuchon and Dominique Bouchet, until, at the age of twenty-four, Ripert made his way to the United States, 32 Yolks is the tender and richly told story of how one of our greatest living chefs found himself—and his home—in the kitchen.
Praise for 32 Yolks
“Passionate, poetical . . . What makes 32 Yolks compelling is the honesty and laudable humility Ripert brings to the telling.”—Chicago Tribune
“With a vulnerability and honesty that is breathtaking . . . Ripert takes us into the mind of a boy with thoughts so sweet they will cause you to weep.”—The Wall Street Journal
Unlike many who would be attracted to this book, I started reading not really aware of who Eric Ripert really is. I don't generally pay attention to Michelin stars or any of that - way above my budget. But I do tend to be interested in memoirs, and as someone who collects cookbooks like some collect tchotchkes, I enjoy reading about chefs and their backgrounds and training. 32 Yolks was both interesting and compulsively readable.
Ripert didn't have the best upbringing as a child. His parents ended up divorced, with his father dying not too long after that. His mother married a man who abused him (mentally more than physically, it appears). Not being a stellar student, he had little interest in pursuing further studies. What he *did* have, however, was a lifetime love for, and interest in, food. From the time he was small, his mother made amazing meals, complete with full service at all times. He was exposed to foods most children might never see, and decided that in the kitchen was where he needed to be. In his memoir, Ripert tells all of this as though you're sitting at a cafe, drinking espresso and having a chat. He and Veronica Chambers, who helped write this, have such an easy way of telling the story. It's actually almost helpful, that ease, particularly when you're reading the terrible details of some of the events in his life.
Overall, it was an enjoyable, interesting read about a man who has worked his way to the pinnacle in the chef world. I wish him the best of continued success, and would certainly be interested in reading more about his life as he made his way to America.
