Jacques Pépin facts for kids
Pépin at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic 2006
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| Born | 18 December 1935 Bourg-en-Bresse, France |
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| Cooking style | American-French |
| Education | Columbia University (B.A., M.A.) |
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Gloria Evelyn Augier
(m. 1966; died 2020) |
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Previous restaurant(s)
Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Le Pavillon, Howard Johnson's, La Potagerie, Windows on the World, Russian Tea Room
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Television show(s)
The Complete Pépin (PBS; originally aired 1997; relaunched 2007)
Fast Food My Way More Fast Food My Way Jacques Pepin: Heart & Soul (2015–2016) |
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Award(s) won
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Jacques Pépin (born December 18, 1935) is a famous French chef, author, TV star, and artist. He was once the personal chef for French President Charles de Gaulle. In 1959, he moved to the United States. He even turned down a job as chef for President John F. Kennedy at the White House! Instead, he worked for Howard Johnson's restaurants, helping them create new food items.
Throughout his long career, Pépin has worked in many top restaurants in Paris and America. He has appeared on American television and written for major magazines like The New York Times and Food & Wine. He has also written over 30 cookbooks, with some becoming best sellers. Jacques Pépin was a close friend of the American chef Julia Child. Their 1999 PBS TV show, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, even won an Emmy Award. He also earned two degrees from Columbia University.
Pépin has received many awards, including 24 James Beard Foundation Awards. He also got France's highest honor, the Légion d'honneur, in 2004. Since 1989, he has taught cooking at Boston University. In 2016, he started the Jacques Pépin Foundation with his daughter and son-in-law. This foundation helps adults learn cooking skills to find jobs. He has lived in Connecticut since 1975.
Contents
Early Life and Learning to Cook
Jacques Pépin was born in 1935 in Bourg-en-Bresse, France. He was the second of three sons. After World War II, his parents opened a restaurant called Le Pélican. Young Jacques worked there and grew to love food.
When he was just thirteen, he started his first cooking apprenticeship. This was at Le Grand Hôtel de l'Europe in his hometown.
Pépin went to college later in life, after moving to the United States in 1959. He first took English classes and then general studies. He earned his first degree from Columbia University in 1970. In 1972, he got his master's degree in French literature. He even wanted to get a doctorate, but his idea for a paper on French food in books was thought to be "too silly" for serious study!
Becoming a Chef and TV Star
At age sixteen, Pépin moved to Paris to work at the famous Plaza Athénée hotel. From 1956 to 1958, during his military service, his cooking skills were noticed. He was chosen to be the personal chef for three French leaders, including Charles de Gaulle.
In 1959, Pépin came to the United States to work at a restaurant called Le Pavillon. Soon after, he met important food writers and chefs like James Beard and Julia Child. Julia Child became a lifelong friend and cooking partner. In 1961, he was offered a job as chef at the White House by President John F. Kennedy. But Pépin said no! Instead, he took a job with Howard Johnson's restaurants. He worked with another French chef, Pierre Franey, to create new food products for their popular chain. He stayed there for ten years.
In 1970, Pépin opened his own soup and lunch spot in New York City called La Potagerie. He became popular, even appearing on TV talk shows. His career as a restaurant chef changed suddenly in 1974. He was in a serious car accident that injured his left arm.
Teaching and Writing Cookbooks
After his accident in the mid-1970s, Pépin found new ways to share his love of food. He became a teacher, author, and TV personality. He taught cooking classes and worked as a food consultant. In 1976, he wrote his first cookbook, La Technique. This was followed by La Methode in 1979. These books were special because they used thousands of photos to show exactly how to do cooking techniques. Many chefs, like Tom Colicchio, say these books helped them learn to cook.
In 1982, Pépin became one of the main teachers at a new cooking school in New York City, now called the International Culinary Center (ICC). That same year, he filmed his first TV cooking show, Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pépin. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he wrote columns for The New York Times and articles for magazines like Food & Wine. He also wrote more cookbooks, like The Art of Cooking.
In 1989, Pépin worked with Julia Child to create a cooking program at Boston University. This program eventually led to a master's degree in food studies. In 1991, his TV show Today’s Gourmet aired. He also appeared with Julia Child in live TV specials in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he introduced his daughter, Claudine, in three TV series: Cooking with Claudine, Encore with Claudine, and Jacques Pépin Celebrates. These shows highlighted his role as both a chef and a teacher. They won James Beard Foundation Awards. In 1999, he teamed up with Julia Child again for Jacques and Julia Cooking at Home. This show won an Emmy Award. In 2003, Pépin wrote his life story, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen.
Later Years and Legacy
Even in the 21st century, Pépin continues to cook, write, paint, and film TV shows. He has also taught cooking on cruise ships. In 2003, he became the main culinary director for Oceania Cruises. He still teaches at the ICC and Boston University. He also does book signings and cooking demonstrations.
Pépin has enjoyed drawing and painting since his college days. In recent years, he has spent more time on his art. He even sells his paintings on his website, Jacques Pépin Art. In the 2000s, he published more cookbooks like Fast Food My Way, which also had TV shows. His book Chez Jacques even featured his artwork. In 2011, he filmed Essential Pépin, a TV series with a cookbook of over 700 recipes. In 2012, he updated his famous technique books into New Complete Techniques.
In 2015, Pépin, at 79, had a minor stroke but quickly recovered. He was eager to get back to his normal schedule. In 2016, he started the Jacques Pépin Foundation with his daughter Claudine and son-in-law Rollie Wesen. This foundation helps culinary training programs across the USA.
In 2017, Pépin wrote a cookbook with his granddaughter, Shorey Wesen, called A Grandfather's Lessons. He also received another honorary degree from Columbia University. Pépin lived in Connecticut with his wife Gloria until she passed away in 2020.
Television Shows
Jacques Pépin's book La Technique was so popular that it became a TV show. In 1997, PBS aired The Complete Pépin. Ten years later, it was shown again. Pépin added a new introduction, explaining that knowing proper cooking techniques is key to being a great chef.
In 1999, Pépin starred with Julia Child in the PBS series Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. This show won a Daytime Emmy in 2001.
His shows Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way (based on his 2004 book) and Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way were also shown on PBS. In Essential Pépin (2011), he updated his favorite recipes. In this 26-part series, he showed over 125 dishes. He often cooked with his daughter, Claudine, on this show. All his TV programs have been made by KQED-TV in San Francisco.
Pépin was a guest judge on the TV show Top Chef in 2008. He also appeared on the show Wahlburgers, surprising Paul Wahlberg for his birthday.
In 2015, his TV series Jacques Pépin Heart & Soul began. This show was described as his "most personal" one, showing his love for life, food, family, and friends. A documentary about his life, Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft, aired on PBS in 2017. It was narrated by Stanley Tucci. In 2020, Jacques and KQED started filming "Cooking at Home" for YouTube.
Awards and Honors
Besides the Daytime Emmy Award he won with Julia Child, Pépin has received three special honors from the French government:
- Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1997)
- Chevalier de L'Ordre du Mérite Agricole (1992)
- Légion d'honneur (2004), which is France's highest honor.
He has also won 24 James Beard Foundation awards, which are like the "Oscars" for food.
On May 13, 2010, Pépin and other chefs prepared a special dinner for President Barack Obama at the St. Regis Hotel. On February 5, 2010, Pépin was named an honorary commodore of the Oceania Cruises fleet. He helps guide the food programs for their ships.
He received an honorary doctorate from Boston University in 2011. In October 2011, Pépin was honored at the New York Food and Wine Festival. Famous chefs like Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud cooked for him. In 2015, he was the first person to receive the Julia Child Award. In May 2017, he received another honorary doctorate from Columbia University.
Personal Life
Jacques Pépin married Gloria Evelyn Augier in 1966. He met her when he was a ski instructor. Gloria passed away on December 5, 2020. They had one daughter, Claudine, who was born in 1968.
In 1974, Pépin was seriously hurt in a car accident. He swerved to avoid a deer, and his car crashed. He broke 14 bones in his back, pelvis, and arms. Doctors almost had to remove his left arm. Pépin recovered, but his left shoulder never fully healed, and his left arm is now shorter than his right. In his autobiography, he wrote that this accident made him realize he couldn't work full-time in restaurants anymore. This led him to become a teacher and author instead.
