Jacques Pépin on Cooking, Teaching, and Kitchen Wisdom

Jacques Pépin, a legendary figure in the culinary world, shared insights into his illustrious career, teaching philosophy, and personal experiences, including his close friendship with Julia Child and James Beard.

Early Encounters and Lasting Friendships

Pépin's entry into the American culinary scene was facilitated by Helen McCully, the food editor for McCall's and House Beautiful. McCully, who became a surrogate mother figure to Pépin, was deeply connected to the New York culinary intelligentsia, speaking daily with James Beard. It was through McCully that Pépin first met Julia Child. McCully described Child as "a very tall woman with a terrible voice," and Pépin cooked for her in McCully's apartment. They quickly became friends, often conversing in French, as Child's French was better than Pépin's English at the time. Pépin maintained friendships with both Child and Beard for many years, noting that the food world was much smaller back then.

The Art of Preparation and Unseen Effort

When it comes to cooking, especially for television, Pépin emphasizes that preparation is crucial but should appear seamless and natural. For him, this means ensuring ingredients are in the right place. He recalls his PBS show days where he would walk the camera crew through the entire cooking process, demonstrating each step from burner one to the final dish. Despite the crew's amazement at his apparent memory, Pépin explains that he visualizes the recipe in his head, working out the timing and sequence as he cooks, rather than relying on rote memorization. This approach allows him to adapt and flow with the cooking process.

Culinary Arts and Visual Arts: A Shared Philosophy

Pépin, who took up painting later in life after moving to the United States, sees parallels between cooking and visual arts. Just as a chef constantly tastes and adjusts a recipe, building flavors until satisfied, a painter works with colors, adding and reacting to them until the artwork feels complete. He acknowledges that he is likely better at cooking due to his longer experience, but the iterative process of creation and refinement is common to both disciplines.

From War-Torn France to French Heads of State

Pépin's culinary journey began in war-torn France, where cooks were at the bottom of the social scale. He worked in prestigious Parisian establishments like Maxim's before being drafted into the Navy during the Algerian War. Due to his brother already serving in Algeria, Pépin was sent back to Paris to cook for naval officers. A friend working for the Secretary of the Treasury invited Pépin to assist with dinners, which led to him cooking for various heads of state, including a prime minister and eventually Charles de Gaulle. He cooked for dignitaries like Tito and McMillan, but noted that, unlike today, chefs were not famous and never featured in magazines or newspapers.

Cooking for heads of state differed from restaurant work by being more focused on the specific preferences of one person, which Pépin found relatively comfortable. These dinners typically served 4 to 10 people, with 25 being the maximum he handled before external organizations were brought in for larger events.

The "Miserly" Cooking Style: A Legacy of Resourcefulness

Pépin's mother, who cooked with almost nothing during wartime, instilled in him a "miserly" cooking style. She never threw anything out, a motto Pépin adopted. He cites "fridge soup" as a prime example: wilted salad, old onions, water, and salt, all combined to make a soup, sometimes with pasta or rice. His mother, who ran a small restaurant, also had to use meat quickly due to limited refrigeration (ice blocks). This resourcefulness was common among the women in his family who ran small restaurants. Pépin even recalls his aunt, unimpressed by his presidential cooking, once throwing him out of her kitchen for using "too much butter."

Unorthodox Decisions: White House vs. Howard Johnson's

Pépin made a surprising decision early in his American career: turning down a job at the White House to cook for John F. Kennedy in favor of working for Howard Johnson's. He initially came to New York in 1959, sponsored by a small restaurant, intending to stay for only a year or two to improve his English. He found a job at Le Pavillon, a top New York restaurant. When its owner, Pierre Franey, was approached by Howard D. Johnson (the company's founder) to work for him, Pépin asked to join.

Howard Johnson's offered a completely different experience, focusing on large-scale production. Pépin described starting with three chickens in a test kitchen and scaling up to 3,000 pounds of chicken in thousand-gallon kettles. This ten-year stint at Howard Johnson's was transformative, teaching him about recipe writing, American eating habits, and mass production. He credits this experience as essential for his later ventures, including opening his own restaurant, La Potagerie (specializing in soup), and working as executive chef at the World Trade Center, serving 40,000 people daily.

The Art of Teaching: Emphasizing Technique Over Recipes

Pépin's approach to teaching culinary skills, particularly in his numerous books and videos, focuses on fundamental techniques rather than just recipes. He realized that universal techniques—like poaching an egg, peeling a tomato, or boning a chicken—are applicable across various cuisines. This emphasis on "breaking down things" resonated with his character and proved to be an effective way for people to learn and remember.

His transition to teaching was partly coincidental, spurred by a severe car accident that left him with 12 fractures and nearly cost him his left arm. After his recovery, cookware shops began opening with small cooking schools, and Pépin was invited to teach. He was surprised by the audience's reaction to simple demonstrations, like peeling a carrot, which reinforced his belief in teaching basic techniques.

Pépin aims to teach "how to cook" to make life easier and faster in the kitchen, regardless of cuisine. He stresses the importance of speed and efficiency, especially in a professional setting where hundreds of meals must be prepared quickly.

Chicken and Eggs: Core Ingredients and Personal Connections

Chicken and eggs hold a special place in Pépin's heart and teaching. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, famous for its prized Bresse chickens, Pépin was involved with chickens from a young age, including killing and plucking them as an apprentice. By extension, eggs became a favorite ingredient due to their versatility. He often returns to these ingredients in his cooking and teaching, sometimes unconsciously.

The Jacques Pépin Foundation: Giving Back

Pépin's son-in-law, Rollie Wesen, a chef and educator, created the Jacques Pépin Foundation. Pépin wanted the foundation to teach cooking to "disenfranchised" individuals, such as former inmates or drug addicts. He believes that within five to six weeks, he can teach someone basic kitchen skills, enabling them to potentially become a chef within a year and a half to two years, thereby rebuilding their lives. The foundation emphasizes that "everyone looks the same in the eye of the stove," promoting a non-political, unifying environment in the kitchen. The foundation offers hundreds of hours of free recipes and teaching materials online, reflecting Pépin's belief that culinary knowledge should be accessible.

Fatherhood and the Kitchen as Home

Becoming a father to Claudine in 1967, the same year he published The Other Half of the Egg with Helen McCully, reinforced the importance of home cooking. For Pépin, the kitchen was always a comforting place filled with inviting smells and sights, a feeling he wanted to pass on to his daughter. Claudine, despite initially wanting nothing to do with cooking, eventually married a chef and became a good cook herself. Pépin recalls Claudine's early attempts at cooking, including a memorable (and tough) roasted chicken she prepared for him.

The Trinity of American Cooking and the Small World of Food

Pépin's connection to the "trinity of American cooking" (Beard, Child, McCully) began at Le Pavillon. He became friends with Craig Claiborne, who reviewed Le Pavillon, and Claiborne introduced him to Helen McCully. McCully, in turn, introduced him to Julia Child. Pépin notes that the food world was very small then, and he knew few French chefs, mostly Swiss, German, or Italian.

New York and Education: A Transformative Experience

New York profoundly changed Pépin. He loved America and pursued education, enrolling at Columbia University in 1959 to learn English. Having left school in France at 13 for an apprenticeship, he returned to academia, eventually proposing a doctoral dissertation on the history of food in civilization and literature. Initially, the department dismissed food as a serious subject, but he later received his PhD. He went on to teach at Boston University (BU), where Claudine also studied. He even convinced Julia Child to join him at BU to create a unique Master of Liberal Arts program with a concentration in gastronomy.

The "Do It Now" Mentality and Chef's Impatience

Pépin's daughter, Claudine, describes her father as a "learner," "teacher," and "impatient." This impatience, she explains, is not malicious but a characteristic of chefs who operate with a "do it now" mentality. In a professional kitchen, there's no waiting; tasks must be completed immediately. This drive for efficiency and results is closely linked to the hunger for learning and mastery.

Respect for Master Technicians and Kitchen Organization

Pépin holds great respect for chefs who can flawlessly organize a kitchen, likening it to a ballet. He cites Thomas Keller and Pierre Franey as examples of highly skilled technicians. He notes that in a well-run kitchen, like Keller's Per Se, there is often silence, not yelling, because everything operates with precision.

He contrasts this with the small bistros of France or Italy, where one person might cook everything from scratch. Large professional kitchens, like those he experienced at the Plaza or in Paris, operate with a brigade system, where 48 cooks might each be assigned specific tasks. This structured approach provides a "body of knowledge" that talented individuals can then transcend with their own creativity. Thomas Keller, in his current position, functions more like a general or CEO, overseeing a highly organized operation. Pépin and Claudine emphasize that chefs at this level also have a duty to teach and mentor, fostering a generous spirit within the culinary community.

Childhood Foods and the Perfect Salad

Pépin believes that the food of one's childhood stays with them, becoming "more than food." He fondly remembers the taste of his mother's soups and tiny potatoes, freshly dug from the garden and sautéed. He also highlights the art of a perfectly seasoned salad, noting the common pitfalls of improper draining, unbalanced dressings, or mixing too early.

Waste in the Kitchen: A Professional Dilemma

Pépin discusses the issue of waste, particularly in professional kitchens. He recounts an experience at the Russian Tea Room where cooks would cut the tops off asparagus and broccoli, discarding the rest. While inherently "wrong" to waste food, he explains that with three cooks serving a thousand people, there was simply no time to peel or utilize the discarded parts. This contrasts sharply with home cooking, where his mother's "miserly" approach meant nothing was ever thrown out. He notes that a staggering percentage of food waste in the US (30-40%) occurs in home refrigerators.

Advice for Aspiring Home Cooks

For those new to cooking, Pépin offers simple advice: "Have a glass of wine." He encourages them not to overthink it, assuring them that the food will be "eatable." The key, he says, is to analyze their own cooking, identify what could be improved, and learn through trial and error.

Future Projects and Enduring Legacy

At 91, Pépin continues to be prolific, with two more books in the works. One is a re-edition of a book he did with Julia Child, featuring more of his drawings and paintings. The second is a book of menus, drawing from over 50 years of personal menus from his home, signed by guests. This collection serves as a cherished memory of family and friends, including those who have passed.

The conversation concludes with the motto of the Jacques Pépin Foundation: "We are all equal in the eyes of the stove," emphasizing the unifying and meritocratic nature of cooking.