Taste TV

Standing with Eric: 'Avec Eric' finds a new home on the Cooking Channel

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Chef Eric Ripert in “Avec Eric”

Chef Eric Ripert in “Avec Eric”

When you’re one of the world’s top chefs, you don’t have to demand the spotlight -- the spotlight comes to you.

Eric Ripert certainly deserves to be called one of the planet’s top culinary masterminds. His New York City restaurant, Le Bernardin, was named one of the best restaurants in the world by British magazine “Restaurant” and sits atop three coveted Michelin stars.

Clearly, this French chef knows his food, and like so many great chefs these days, he’s happy to share an inside view of what makes him tick.

“Avec Eric,” which aired on PBS for its first two seasons, has found itself a new home on the Cooking Channel. Airing Saturday mornings, it’s an inside and intimate view of Ripert’s constant search for culinary inspiration.

The Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series follows the chef on his journeys for culinary inspiration around the world, and also lands closer to home when he takes us inside his own kitchen to cook up some delicious meals.

This season, Ripert is headed to the land down under. Sydney, Australia, is renowned for its international dining scene, but that’s far from the only thing he’s looking to experience. The southern continent has a wealth of ingredients and culinary traditions, from the indigenous foods of western Australia to the tasty fish that live in the Northern Territory (caught while fishing from a helicopter, of course), and Ripert is here to experience as much as he can.

Australia isn’t the only exotic land he’s visiting this season. He also has his sights set on the land of kimchi, the fermented vegetable dish that’s the iconic culinary symbol of Korea.

Of course, kimchi isn’t the only native food Ripert will be experiencing in South Korea -- although he will be learning a bit about how more than 150 varieties are produced.

He’ll also be checking out the gochujang (a hot pepper paste), trying some traditional temple foods and even visiting the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea to find some of the world’s most sought-after ginseng.

When you’re one of the most respected chefs on the planet, the constant search for culinary inspiration seems to know no borders -- including the borders between TV channels. Old fans and curious new ones can find “Avec Eric” airing Saturday mornings on the Cooking Channel.