The word from Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert’s people is that he’ll enter the television fray this fall, with the PBS version of his (currently) web-only Avec Eric. The website follows a man, a plan, a toaster oven format: here Ripert bangs out a traditional Raspberry Clafouti in his Cuisinart in just a few minutes. We interviewed the four-star chef last year and asked him about television appearances, which have been relatively rare. “I like to communicate,” he told us. “And to communicate on TV is very effective. I love being on television, but with boundaries.” Ripert will also appear on tonight’s episode of Top Chef where he sometimes serves as guest judge, with insouciance that’s become atypical of the usually frenzied chef-competition. And last month, Ripert announced that Le Bernardin will donate $1 to City Harvest for each customer who dines at the restaurant for the rest of 2009. Avec Eric, the show, debuts in the fall. more ›

In 1994, Eric Ripert became the executive chef of Le Bernardin after chef-owner Gilbert Le Coze died of a sudden heart attack. The following year, Ripert was only 29 years old when the restaurant was re-reviewed and kept its four-star rating from the New York Times. Le Bernardin has had a total of four four-star New York Times reviews since its New York opening in 1986, and has consistently been awarded a top rating of three Michelin stars since guide inspectors first set up shop here in 2005. more ›