Jacques Pépin (born December 18 1935) is a French chef working in the United States. Pépin was born in Bourg-en-Bresse near Lyon, and began cooking in his parents' restaurant, Le Pelican, at the age of 12. He went on to work in Paris, training under Lucien Diat at the Plaza Athénée. He eventually served as a personal chef for Charles De Gaulle and two other French premiers. Upon immigration to the United States in 1959, Pépin turned down a job offer at the White House, and instead accepted a position as the director of research and new development for the Howard Johnson chain of hotels. He stayed at Howard Johnson for ten years. In 1970, Pépin graduated from Columbia University School of General Studies and in 1972 earned a Master of Arts in 18th Century French poetry from Columbia. Pépin has had several television shows, including shows with Julia Child. His work with Julia Child was honored with a Daytime Emmy Award in 2001. Pépin also had a television show with his daughter, Claudine. (Claudine Pépin is married to chef Rolland Wesen.) He writes a quarterly column for Food & Wine. Over his career, Pépin has authored 18 books, including the highly regarded La Technique, used to this day as a textbook for teaching the fundamentals of French cuisine. He also received two of the French government’s highest honors: he is a Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1997) and a Chevalier de L'Ordre du Mérite Agricole (1992). In October 2004 he was awarded the highest honor of France given to civilians, the Légion d'honneur. His show Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way (based on his 2004 book of the same name) runs on PBS. Pépin serves as Dean of Special Programs at the French Culinary Institute, part of the new International Culinary Center, in New York City. He is also an active contributor to the Gastronomy department at Boston University, where he teaches an online class on the cuisine and culture of France along with professor Kyri Claflin of Boston Universities' history department. In addition Pépin also offers an amateur class each semester based on varied topics. He currently resides with his wife, Gloria, in Madison, Connecticut.
Selected bibliography
- Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook (w/Tom Hopkins, 2007)
- Fast Food My Way (2004)
- The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen (2003)
- Jacques Pépin Celebrates (2001)
- Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home (1999) (with Julia Child and David Nussbaum)
- Jacques Pépin's Kitchen: Encore with Claudine (1998)
- The French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking (1998) (with Alain Sailhac, Andre Soltner, and Jacques Torres)
- Jacques Pépin's Kitchen: Cooking with Claudine (1996)
- Jacques Pépin's Table (1995)
- Cuisine Economique (1992)
- Today's Gourmet II (1992)
- Today's Gourmet (1991)
- Short-Cut Cook (1990)
- The Art of Cooking, Vol 2 (1988)
- The Art of Cooking, Vol 1 (1987)
- Everyday Cooking With Jacques Pepin (1982)
- La Methode (1979)
- La Technique (1976)
- Jacques Pépin: A French Chef Cooks at Home (1975)
