Taylor Swift Has Yet to Dine at Le Bernardin, Chef Eric Ripert Reveals
The renowned French chef shared which celebrities are regulars at his three-Michelin-starred restaurant and noted the pop superstar has never visited.
Despite hosting countless celebrities at his acclaimed New York City restaurant, Le Bernardin, Chef Eric Ripert has yet to welcome global pop sensation Taylor Swift to his establishment. Ripert, the executive chef and co-owner of the three-Michelin-starred French seafood restaurant, expressed this during a recent interview with The Post, suggesting Swift might be inspired to visit if she reads about it.
Ripert, who has been with Le Bernardin since 1991, noted that actor Richard Gere is a frequent and welcome guest. "When he’s in town, always visiting us and it’s always a pleasure to feed him and speak to him a little bit," Ripert said of Gere.
Other notable patrons who have dined at the Midtown establishment include Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and Mick Jagger. Ripert mentioned Jagger is "friends with my business partner, so he’s always at ease and happy."
Despite the high-profile clientele, Ripert maintains a consistent standard for all his guests. "They choose from the menu, or they ask me to choose for them whatever I want, which is generally from the menu," he stated. "To me, every client is the same… we cannot have different standards."
Ripert recounted an instance where a powerful politician, whose name he did not disclose, arranged for paparazzi to be present outside the restaurant. When offered an alternative exit, the politician declined, indicating he had called the photographers himself.
One of the most memorable guests for Ripert was the Dalai Lama, for whom he cooked on two occasions. For the Dalai Lama's second visit, Ripert prepared a filet mignon, but it was a chocolate mousse that elicited a notable emotional response from the spiritual leader. "He never really showed much emotion, except when he had the chocolate mousse," Ripert recalled.
Ripert's ninth book, "Mindful Cooking," is set to be released on October 6. The book was influenced by his travels to Buddhist monasteries in Asia, where monks adhere to a plant-based diet for spiritual reasons. He explained that onions are avoided as they can induce sleepiness and bad dreams, while garlic is omitted because its warming effect is not conducive to meditation and can lead to unpleasant shared aromas.
The chef described how the monks view food as medicine, believing everything consumed has a direct impact on well-being. "They believe everything that we put in our body will have a positive or negative effect depending on what it is."
Le Bernardin's most popular dish, the carpaccio of tuna on a toasted baguette with foie gras, was once removed from the menu temporarily, leading to significant backlash from patrons. Ripert compared the situation to the Rolling Stones refusing to play "Satisfaction" at a concert, emphasizing the importance of consistently delivering expected favorites.
Taylor Swift was recently seen dining at Ambassadors Clubhouse New York, an Indian restaurant in NoMad, with Travis Kelce. However, her visit to Le Bernardin remains a "Blank Space."