The local paper for the Upper East Side SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ◄ P.7
ERIC RIPERT’S RECIPE FOR CRISIS
RESTAURANTS
The celebrated chef of Le Bernardin talks about feeding visiting health care workers, his plans to open for business again — and the future of dining BY MARK WHITAKER
Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright. Photo: Andre Beckles
SEAWRIGHT KICKED OFF BALLOT AGAIN
POLITICS
The three-term UES Assembly Member now plans to run as an independent in her bid for re-election BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
After a back-and-forth battle in the courts, threeterm Upper East Side Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright has been knocked
It was on Thursday, March 12, that Eric Ripert realized that the time had come to close the doors of Le Bernar-
din, widely considered the finest restaurant in New York City. The celebrated chef had been following the alarming news about COVID-19 not only in the United States but around the world, including his native France. “The situation was evolving very quickly, hour by hour,” Ripert recalls. “I talked to my staff that Thursday and said, ‘It doesn’t look good outside. I will to talk to you again tomorrow.’” The next day, Friday the 13th, he shut down the famed
dining room and kitchen on West 51st Street immediately after the dinner service — a full week before Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the closing of all other restaurants and non-essential businesses across the state. “I didn’t feel comfortable about the safety of our workers or our customers,” Ripert says, “so I decided to be proactive.” Long a leader in the restaurant industry, Ripert wasn’t
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@OurTownNYC
2020
INSIDE
‘A PASSION TO SERVE’ Facing a primary challenge, Assembly Member Dan Quart says one pressing issue affects all others: the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. p.2
DELIVERY DATE
A NEW NYC’S NEIGHBORS, ART, BALLOTS One man's COVID experience, art in empty storefronts. p. 6
Chef Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin for World Central Kitchen. Photo: Lori Cannava
OurTownEastSide
OURTOWNNY.COM
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The Instacart adventure: the surprise of shopping for groceries during the pandemic. p. 6
off the 2020 ballot after her campaign made a filing error. Seawright’s disqualification would leave an absence on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, making Republican Louis Puliafito, who currently works as a residential doorman, the only candidate currently on the ballot to represent the 76th Assembly District — which represents part of the Upper
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WEEK OF MAY-JUNE MAY
Voices City Arts
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15 Minutes Real Estate
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Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, May 29 – 8:01 pm. For more information visit www.chabbaduppereastside.com.