No conversation I had at #AspenIdeas had festivalgoers as excited as with Chef Eric Ripert. And they were right. He’s as open and soulful as he is gifted as a chef—which is why so many people reserve Le Bernardin for meals and times they want to be truly special.

A moment from our conversation, when he talked about changing from encouraging beauty rather than berating his staff for not meeting his standards—as he’d learned, as he’d done itself—shows why our conversation was so memorable. Do listen to the whole thing.