Who is Anthony Bourdain's friend Eric Ripert?

Details are emerging about Anthony Bourdain’s apparent suicide. Among them, the celebrity chef was reportedly found unresponsive in his hotel room in France by his close friend, French chef Eric Ripert. The two were filming an upcoming episode of Bourdain’s CNN series Parts Unknown, CNN reports. Ripert is an award-winning chef, co-owner of Le Bernardin, and author or co-author of a number of books, including his memoir, 32 Yolks, and five cookbooks, My Best: Eric Ripert, Avec Eric, On the Line, and A Return to Cooking, and the Le Bernardin Cookbook.