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Media Page
Direct All Media Inquiries to:
MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Stephenson 917-714-7078 MediaForRipe@AOL.COM
www.riperestaurant.com
MEDIA PICTURE FILES/REVIEWS Click Here
Ripe kitchen & bar
151 SANDFORD BLVD WEST, MT VERNON NY 10550 914-665-7689
Nigel Spence
OWNER & Executive Chef
Chef Spence, a Culinary Institute of America alumnus, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
Opened in 2003, Ripe is Mr. Spence’s first entrepreneurial endeavor outside of a road side “jerk shack” that helped put him through school.
As part of the CIA’s intense and exclusive training program, Nigel interned at the Television Food Network. After graduating in 1997, Nigel was asked to stay on at the network which he did for approximately 3 years. TVFN afforded Nigel the opportunity to work with culinary luminaries such as Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse.
Most recently, Chef Spence appeared on Throwdown with Bobby Flay where he emerged the victor in a jerk cook off against the Food Network star and later made special appearances on Tony's Table on WCBS (NY) and WABC's (NY) Neighborhood Eats. He was also profiled by Irie TV for the program Irie Diaries which will air later this year.
Next for Chef Spence will be a second appearance on the Food Network in less than a year. Premiering on the Food Network on May 25th, 2008, he will again be pitted against celebrity chef Bobby Flay in a cooking rematch filmed on location at the Biltmore Hotel and Resort in Florida. In addition, throughout summer ’08, Chef Spence will be featured on the award winning in-flight program Island Stylee on Jamaica’s national airline, Air Jamaica.
Nigel's work at Ripe has also received positive reviews from and has been featured in various media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Journal News, The Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaican Eats, Jamaican Magazine, Jamaicans.com, The Westchester Magazine, Hudson Valley News, the Westchester Tribune and Caribbean Life.
Nigel has lived in the North Bronx/Mt. Vernon area ever since he migrated from Jamaica when he was just 11. One of his first memories is as a boy who unexpectedly finds himself in a cold, grey land; desperately yearning for his beloved mango trees.
Ripe is his gift to all of us who have lost our mango trees . . . a little bit of sunshine in a "concrete" world
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