Get Toasted Avec Eric

By Kit | July 1, 2008

I vaguely remember seeing Eric Ripert on Food Network years ago, probably on some show like “Ready, Set, Cook”. I also remember being vaguely put off by what I perceived as his arrogance. I don’t know what has happened since, but it seems that this chef who is very well respected by other chefs (Three Michelin stars and a James Beard Award), seems to be making his way into America’s heart and consciousness. I suppose this could be the result of some very well crafted publicity and coaching, but that seems strange for the chef at a restaurant (Le Bernardin) that makes a practice of turning people away. It could also be leverage to sell his forthcoming cookbook. Regardless, whether playing the role of mentor and judge on Top Chef or generally kicking Anthony Bourdain’s ass as they both work the line on No Reservations, Ripert seems to be mastering the art of building the personal brand, while avoiding coming off as a product shill.

Most interesting to me is Eric’s new online enterprise Avec Eric which combines a blog with simple videos that teach basic cooking techniques. While focused on a sponsor’s (Cuisinart) product, it is far from the star of the show. Instead it is a very warm and friendly Eric teaching the basics of cooking and highlighting the clean and basic flavors of the food for which he is known. Whether this is a very forward thinking pitch that exemplifies new media’s role in marketing or a fun side project for Eric, it is definitely worth watching.

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  • Dromedary Apothecary

    This is the weblog of Kit Kemper. It is generally about marketing. Marketing in the sense that pretty much everything you do as a company and more often as a person these days devolves into marketing of some sort or another. It is also about tech in much the same way as it is about marketing, technology touches more of our lives every day and where people, marketing, and technology converge there are some pretty interesting things happening.