My Favorite Cigar
Eric Ripert • Chef
Cohiba Behike BHK 56
Eric Ripert, head chef of one of New York City’s most acclaimed restaurants, Le Bernardin, likes the good stuff. His favorite cigar? The Cohiba Behike BHK 56. “When I can get them,” he says, a reflection of just how hard it is to find Behikes nowadays. He usually smokes a cigar on the weekend and he enjoys cigars when he vacations.
Ripert, 56, is the master of fish, turning the catch of the sea into creative expressions that diners and critics rave about. But what’s his favorite non-fish meal? “Lately I’m enjoying cooking and eating different vegetable-focused dishes,” he says. His indulgence in vegetables inspired him to write a new cookbook, Vegetable Simple, which came out in April.
When Le Bernardin was forced to close during the pandemic, Ripert turned to charity. “Le Bernardin partnered with World Central Kitchen to prepare 400 meals a day to be delivered to New Yorkers in need,” Ripert says. “Le Bernardin’s dedicated, food-rescue partner, City Harvest, collaborated with us on this endeavor by delivering fresh produce to us weekly for many of these meals. Cooking for those in need is very rewarding.”
