Honorees
This year, we are thrilled to honor Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert, and
Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Three of the world’s top chefs, they are widely celebrated for their expertise, creativity, and forward-thinking vision when it comes to food and the restaurant world. They are also philanthropists who support the essential work of local organizations, and members of the community who proved their innovation and resilience during the challenges of the last two years.
Daniel Boulud
Daniel Boulud’s culinary empire spans the globe, with restaurants across the United States, as well as Toronto, Montreal, Dubai, Singapore, and the Bahamas.
Originally from Lyon, he arrived in New York City in 1982. Since then, he has continually evolved his cuisine and expanded his reach to properties around the world. His culinary empire has brought him many accolades, yet his inspiration remains grounded in the rhythm of the seasons. Boulud’s signature remains the contemporary appeal he brings to soulful dishes rooted in the French tradition. In November 2021, he was named Best Restaurateur in the World by Les Grandes Tables du Monde.
Chef Daniel Boulud serves as Board Co-President of Citymeals on Wheels, an organization that serves homebound elderly New Yorkers. For over 20 years, Boulud has hosted the Sunday Supper fundraiser, an intimate dinner at DANIEL in support of the organization. In 2020, Sunday Supper raised $1 million to prepare and deliver 127,000 meals for older New Yorkers.
Eric Ripert
Eric Ripert is the chef and co-owner of the acclaimed New York restaurant Le Bernardin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar.
Born in Antibes, France, Ripert moved to Andorra, a small country just over the Spanishborder, as a young child. His family instilled their own passion for food in the young Ripert,and at the age of 15 he left home to attend culinary school in Perpignan. At 17, he movedto Paris and cooked at the legendary La Tour D’Argent before taking a position at theMichelin three-starred Jamin.
Ripert moved to New York in 1991, working briefly as David Bouley’s sous-chef before being recruited as chef for Le Bernardin. Ripert has since firmly established himself as one of New York’s—and the world’s—great chefs. He has been named Top Chef in New York City (1998) and Outstanding Chef in the United States (2003) by the James Beard Foundation, among other accolades, and has published seven books.
Chef Eric Ripert is the Vice Chairman of the Board of City Harvest, an organization that aims to feed New Yorkers struggling with hunger. Ripert works to bring together New York’s top chefs and restaurateurs to raise funds and increase the quality and quantity of food donations to New York’s neediest.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Jean-Georges Vongerichten is responsible for the operation and success of 39 restaurants worldwide.
Born and raised in Alsace, France, Jean-Georges’ earliest family memories are of food. He began his training at Auberge de l’Ill as an apprentice to Chef Paul Haeberlin, then went on to work at L’Oasis in southern France. With this impressive three-star Michelin background, Jean-Georges continued his training at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, the Meridien Hotel in Singapore, and the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong. During this time, he developed his love for exotic and aromatic flavors, abandoning the traditional use of meat stocks and creams for the intense flavors and textures of vegetable juices, fruit essences, light broths, and herbal vinaigrettes. He has published several cookbooks reflecting his influential style of cooking, including Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef, for which he won the Best Cookbook Award from the James Beard Foundation in 1999.
Jean-Georges’ work with the nonprofit foundation Food Dreams helps passionate individuals gain access to culinary education and career opportunities in the restaurant industry that would otherwise be out of reach. The foundation offers scholarship opportunities to some of the finest culinary schools in America, as well as an extensive post-graduate mentorship program in Jean-Georges restaurants around the world.