By Eric Ripert with Veronica Chambers

Published by Random House

Buy a copy from Bookshop

Get the audiobook version

New York Times Best Seller

NPR's Best Books of 2016

Taste Talks Food & Drink Awards, Best Food Literature

Praise for 32 Yolks

"Heartbreaking. Horrifying. Poignant. And inspiring. I've known Eric for years, and I had no idea that this was how it all started. If you want to get a clear picture of where one gets the drive and dedication to be a truly great chef, there is no better or more harrowing account."—Anthony Bourdain

"This book demonstrates just how amazing Eric's life has been both inside and outside the kitchen. It makes total sense now that he has become one of the greatest chefs in the world today. This is a portrait of a chef as a young man. It's endlessly entertaining and teaches young cooks how it used to be."—David Chang
 
"Eric Ripert is known around the world for his talent and passion for food. I have been friends with him for half his life, but his memoir let me discover more about his past. His journey from Andorra to Manhattan is full of adventure, hard work, and ambition, and it is an inspiration to us all."—Daniel Boulud
 
"Eric Ripert's 32 Yolks is as almost as irresistible as his cooking—a suspenseful, scary, and deeply moving memoir. Even with the knowledge of his eventual triumph as one of the world's greatest chefs, you can't help wondering as you turn the pages whether he will manage to survive his childhood or his grueling apprenticeship in two of France's top kitchens. But ultimately his deep, visceral appreciation of food and the joy of cooking make this a lyrical and inspiring story."—Jay McInerney

“Passionate, poetical . . . What makes 32 Yolks compelling is the honesty and laudable humility Ripert brings to the telling.” — Chicago Tribune

“With a vulnerability and honesty that is breathtaking . . . Ripert takes us into the mind of a boy with thoughts so sweet they will cause you to weep. He also lets us into the mind of the man he is today, revealing all the golden cracks and chips that made him more valuable to those around him.” — The Wall Street Journal
 
“Eric Ripert makes magic with 32 Yolks.” — Vanity Fair

“32 Yolks may not be what you’d expect from a charming, Emmy-winning cooking show host and cookbook author. In the book, there are, of course, scenes of elaborate meals both eaten and prepared. . . . But Ripert’s story is, for the most part, one of profound loss.” — Los Angeles Times

"32 Yolks is as much a peek into the cutthroat restaurant world as it is a culinary tour of chef Eric Ripert's childhood and first years in the kitchen. He pays tribute to the chef who inspired him as a young boy (he fed him bowls of chocolate mousse), and recalls the first dish he ever made in a Michelin three-star restaurant — a hollandaise sauce with 32 yolks. (Spoiler alert: It didn't turn out well.)" — Natalie Winston, NPR Weekend Edition

For readers of Jacques Pépin’s The Apprentice and Marcus Samuelsson’s Yes, Chef, here is the coming-of-age story of a true French chef and international culinary icon. Before he earned three Michelin stars at Le Bernardin, won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef, or became a regular guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, and even before he knew how to make a proper omelet, Eric Ripert was a young boy in the South of France who felt that his world had come to an end. The only place Eric felt at home was in the kitchen. His desire to not only cook, but to become the best would lead him into some of the most celebrated and demanding restaurants in Paris, serving under such legendary chefs as Joël Robuchon and Dominique Bouchet, and trying to survive the brutal, exacting environment of their kitchens.

Buy a copy from Bookshop