Now that chef Eric Ripert has his own chocolate bar, he is moving on to caviar: Next week, he'll launch Eric Ripert Imperial Select Caviar, a luxury (read: expensive), limited-edition sturgeon roe caviar with Paramount Caviar, whose caviar he serves at his three-Michelin star New York restaurant Le Bernardin. $525 gets you four ounces while $1,050 buys eight ounces. According to a release, the "roe is farmed in Italy, China and Israel" and is one of "the highest grades of sturgeon roe available." Available online, it comes with 16 "handmade blini imported from France," some crème fraîche, and a mother of pearl spoon engraved with Ripert's signature. How very fancy. They'll even hand deliver it within Manhattan (all other locations get next-day delivery).
What other luxury goods can be expected from Ripert in the future? Champagne? Imported cured hams? Foie gras? His own breed of truffle-sniffing pigs? Only time will tell. In the meantime, here's a press release:
The week of November 19th, acclaimed chef Eric Ripert of New York's Michelin-starred Le Bernardin is partnering with New York's award-winning Paramount Caviar to release a limited-edition caviar acquired from the highest grades of sturgeon roe available. This is the first time the company has partnered with a chef.When Ripert first met Paramount's owner Hossein Aimani, he was immediately impressed by his caviar's delicate flavor and texture and decided to serve it at Le Bernardin, known for its philosophy of fish as the star of the plate. Over the next twenty years, the two remained friends and would often discuss collaborating; a luxury caviar was the perfect outlet to showcase their mutual passion for excellence.
Nutty, briny and lightly salted, the creamy golden roe is farmed in Italy, China and Israel. Origins are dependent on quality and seasonal availability, a testament to Ripert and Aimani's eye for perfection.
Eric Ripert Caviar is available in 4 oz. tins for $525 and 8 oz. tins for $1,050 on www.paramountcaviar.com/ericripertcaviar for next-day delivery throughout the United States and hand delivery within Manhattan.
It arrives in a custom-made, reusable white bag with blue trim. White and blue--the colors Ripert wears in Le Bernardin's kitchen--are found throughout the package, which includes a rare black mother of pearl spoon engraved with Ripert's signature in an embossed, blue satin pouch, 16 handmade blini imported from France and a miniature container of crème fraîche.
The caviar tin has a simple white and blue design, wrapped in a white protective band to ensure freshness and placed in a white biodegradable drawstring bag.
· Eric Ripert Caviar [Official Site]
· All Eric Ripert Coverage on Eater [-E-]