In this world, there are only two things: good food and bad food. What Chrissy Teigen and I have in common is that we like good food. I first met Chrissy on the set of my show, On the Table. The idea was to interview the guest while we cooked a meal together. She was a riot. She was out-of-her-mind funny, and we had a blast.
But while she might come off as lighthearted, Chrissy’s cooking is truly excellent. She’s a true perfectionist and extremely precise. She remembers where she came from, and she’s very proud of that. Her father is of Norwegian descent, her mother is Thai and she’s American, and she’s bringing her culture to the food world. Her cookbooks are made for people to cook at home, but they’re not something you just leave on the coffee table—they’re recipes you want to make over and over again.
She may be a top model, but all her life, Chrissy Teigen has liked to eat. She’s not shy about that—or anything else, really. She’s very opinionated, and I love her for it. But what I love most about Chrissy is that she’s very much herself. She may be glamorous and an icon in elegance, but she’s extremely approachable and warm. And above all, she’s a very proud mother and a tremendously supportive wife. I admire her so much.
Ripert is the chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin