Ripert and Bourdain - the good, the bad, the calories - Part 1

Had you suggested 10 years ago to offer a show with two chefs sitting on stage chit-chatting and have it sell out a theatre, people would have said you should stop drinking. The reality is that last night the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore was filled, jammed with fans of Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations and Eric Ripert of the PBS series Avec Eric.

A friend, who is passionately in love with Bourdain, sent her advanced ticket sale notice from Broadway Across America to me bemoaning she couldn’t go because of her son’s college graduation. Opportunity knocked but the best seats available were center row K. How could so many tickets for chefs just talking sold so so fast? At the theatre Jody and Angela Lamberti discussed how they managed front row tickets and Jody replied she ordered the tickets the instant the e-mail came into her in box. Next to the Lamberti sisters was Farrar Strum (not sure I have the last name correct, trying to decipher his penmanship) who received his front row ticket as a gift from his wife who remained home with the five year old. In looking at the audience the demographics were late 20’s up to baby boomers – everyone has to eat. (see some snaps HERE)

Before the show started local food VIPs spied Suzanne Loudermilk, Food and Travel Editor of Baltimore Magazine, Sergio Vitale of Aldo’s Restaurant and Chef Michael Gettier of Antrim 1844. Beside my husband were  Chef Mitch C. Cooper, Food and Beverage Manager /Executive Chef at the Baltimore Marriott-Inner Harbor at Camden Yards and his lovely wife. Chef Cooper explained he met Bourdain in New York when his tell-all Kitchen Confidential was released and had a moment to talk with him prior to a press interview.

"Here they come, here they come with the same old grin"

Curtains up, ‘as they say’, and on comes Reagan Warfield from Mix 106.5. When touring Fells Point on the new Charm City Tours with Reagan this past Thursday he never revealed or hinted he was going to be the host/interviewer of Bourdain and Ripert. There are a selection of excellent questions I was willing to share with Reagan he could have asked the errant bad boy of food and the Michelin starred chef of Le Bernardin.

As the grey-haired 'Frick and Frack' of food made themselves comfortable on the couches, the crowd applauded with abandon. Warfield jumped in with both feet to get the dialogue going with “what pisses you off?”Bourdain responded, “Fake Italian, pasta cooked rinsed in cold water and then tomato sauce poured all over and fake Mexican.” Bourdain turned to audience and said " you don’t see shredded Jack cheese or sour cream on real Mexican dishes."  Ripert gets frustrated and pissed when food isn’t fresh. Interesting, but the mild opening remarks were not exactly spellbinding.

Prodded by the MC to address their reaction to Chef Gordon Ramsay and Hell’s Kitchen the responses were Ramsay was sending the wrong message about anger in the workplace. Chef Ripert asked the audience, "would you work anywhere where people hollered at you all day and were abusive?" Bourdain, in his own expressive way; honest, on the brain and out-the-mouth, talked about the choices of chef-testants on that show. They did say the best Ramsay does, which is truer to his personality, is the British version of Kitchen Nightmares. Bourdain let the audience know that Ramsay gets approximately 250,000 an episode for Hell’s Kitchen. ChaChing! No comment from Tony as to what he earns per episode.

Top Chef

Both Tony and Eric have been judges on Top Chef. This year Eric will be a regular judge alternating with Gail Simmons from Food and Wine Magazine. Both said with complete candor that Tom Colicchio is the moral center of the show. That judging deliberation is based on what have you done today, not wins before and fan favorites but what have you done today. It is based on the quality of the food. Eric said one show in Aspen they spent five hours deliberating between the bottom three as to who was to 'pack their knives.' At the minimum deliberation is two hours which on the show is reduced down to about 15 seconds.

And the hour flew by

Bourdain discussed his choices to what he filmed in Baltimore for his Baltimore episode on No Reservations and his admiration for local writer/producer David Simon and his work on the Wire. He made no excuses for what he shot in his Baltimore episode. Tony explained what he does are personal essays. Why Baltimore for filming when he hasn’t gone to Philadelphia was pretty much about indigenous foods and Philly just doesn’t have Lake Trout and Pit Beef. Chef Ripert was probably Tony’s best audience who consistently broke up laughing throughout the evening.

Ripert was known for his temper, for screaming, hollering and throwing things in the kitchen but a turn about, a choice of a Buddhist book in an airport over a Playboy set him on a new path and is now practicing Buddhism. Chef had just cooked for the Dalai Lama the afternoon of this show and scurried to Baltimore for his appearance.

The Travel Channel was bought by the same company that owns the Food Network and Bourdain waits to see what will come of this. He, like many fans of the original Food Network, have turned off when the real talent disappeared: Sara Moulton, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. The only talent that remains is Bobby Flay, no matter what people might think of Bobby, he is an excellent chef claimed Tony.

Their culinary idols

Chef Ripert who worked with many of the early greats mentioned Joel Robuchon, Jean-Louis Palledin and Paul Bocuse. Tony, who will tell you in a New York minute, he was not a chef of great caliber; he was a work horse who didn’t particular have a culinary idol. But when London’s Chef Marco Pierre White started winning awards, there for Bourdain was a rock star chef with long hair, gaunt face and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth in the kitchen.

There were plenty of laughs and f words for everyone

Tony was not shy, was true to what makes him a success, and said what was on his mind in a gritty language we all understood. If Bourdain has a mantra it is ‘show up on time.’ This was something he learned as a dishwasher and expected of his staff when running his own kitchen. It is a sign of good character and something he espouses. This is not the first time these ears have heard him talk about showing up on time he ranted on that at a StarChefs conference. He also has a distinct dislike for Billy Joel music. He would not hire anyone in his kitchen if they listened to Billy Joel music.

Ripert, when asked about home life, said his wife was Puerto Rican and when she complains she is usually holding a knife. Big laughs. Tony, whose wife is Italian, complains about his Italian cooking.

Q & A

My husband’s glare kept me from scurrying out to the aisle and asking my questions but there were sufficient asked. The questions were about foods Bourdain has consumed and had he gotten sick (3 times) to what would you say to the new chefs coming up. One person stated they had seen the live show the night before in Washington, D.C. and came to the Baltimore show at which point Tony said “security.” Surprisingly, no one brought up the tweeter who goes by @ruthbourdain, a mishmosh of the late Gourmet Magazine’s Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bourdain’s ways of expressing themselves.

Here are my questions that I didn’t get to ask.

1. Pho or foie gras?
2. The night of the D’Artagnan party in New York I was behind your entourage on 59th Street and someone in the group was on their cell phone saying you were all going to Rosa Mexicana – did I hear correctly?
3. Same night, Chef Ripert, not a question but a thank you for stopping and letting me take your photograph.

Part 2 – The bad and calories to follow - click here to read

For those readers who went beyond the first two paragraphs and got this far there will be another post covering the dining aspect of this evening.  When Part 2 is done,

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