Eric Ripert

Why did you get involved with City Harvest?
Le Bernardin is a very luxurious restaurant and every night when I would go home I would see people in need on the streets. Very simply it was hard for me to reconcile the food I was cooking and the fact that my neighbors were going hungry. So I wanted to find a way to give back.

Why is hunger an important issue for you?
Food provides nourishment in so many ways -- not just physically but emotionally and so I want to work to make sure everyone can be nourished.

How has your involvement with City Harvest affected your outlook on food and/or hunger in New York City?
Working with City Harvest has been a tremendous education for me. I realize now that hunger doesnít just affect a homeless person you see on the street but itís something affecting working families all over the city.

What is your favorite hidden gem of a restaurant in New York?
Yakitori Toto -- Japanese place not far from Le Bernardin. I love it.

What is your favorite type of food to eat?
I particularly love all kinds of Asian food, but I don't discriminate, I love all foods!

What is your favorite type of food to make?
I love to grill a NY Strip -- I cook fish all week and on my days off I crave meat.

What can you not live without in your kitchen?
Good sharp knives

What is in your refrigerator?

Greek yogurt, honey, champagne and butter

What inspired you to focus on being a chef as a career?
Since a very young age I loved foodóI was eating all the time as a child and I also spent a lot of time being in the kitchen cooking with my mother and grandmothers. It was a huge influence for me and I wanted to be a chef since then.

What is your favorite junk food?
If pizza counts as a junk food then that's it.

Do you have any suggestions for people on a limited budget that would still like to enjoy a nice meal out?
I say check out your local neighborhood spots -- NYC is full of them.

I am thinking about becoming a chef, what advice can you give me?
You have to be ready to work very hard. Make sure you truly have the passion. Remember this is not a job, it's a lifestyle. I recommend spending some time in a professional kitchen to see if itís what you really want before jumping in.

What would your last meal be?
I have answered this question in the book called "My Last Supper" by Melanie Dunea. It's a beautiful book of chef portraits along with their last meal. Mine would be fresh black truffles, sliced thick and piled on a piece of country bread slathered with butter. I'd have a bottle of Bordeaux and I'd be surrounded by my friends and family.

• At the Chef's Table
• The Food Council