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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Jacques Pepin

Jacques P茅pin is a French chef, author, culinary educator, television personality, and artist. Although relatively little known in France, he is one of the most famous chefs in America and one of the world鈥檚 most celebrated chefs.

P茅pin was born in 1935 in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, and he was the second of three sons born to Jeannette and Jean-Victor P茅pin. His parents operated a restaurant where he first developed his interest in cooking.

He relocated to the United States in 1959, where he worked in various Top French restaurants before he opened a specialty soup restaurant and lunch counter on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue called La Potageri in 1970.

Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Jacques Pepin.

1. He Started his Career at an Early Age

Pepin鈥檚 first exposure to cooking came during the time he worked in his parent鈥檚 restaurant as a child. At the age of thirteen, he started his apprenticeship at Le Grand H么tel de l’Europe in Bourg-en-Bresse.

At age sixteen, he went on to work in 麻豆APP, training under Lucien Diat at the Plaza Ath茅n茅e. He later joined military service from 1956 to 1958, where he was recognized for his culinary training and skills.

During his time in the military, he was ordered to work in the Office of the Treasury, where he met his long-time cooking partner, Jean-Claude Szurdak.

2. Pepin has Written over 30 Cookbooks

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Despite being trained without cookbooks and formal recipes, he has written over 30cookbooks some of which have become best sellers. The most popular is 鈥淟a Technique鈥� which was, published in 1976, an in-depth catalog of the most useful culinary techniques that are still relevant today.

Many of his television shows were inspired by his cookbooks, including Fast Food My Way which taught viewers to prepare fine foods at home quickly and with fresh ingredients.

He also hosted a PBS series The Complete P茅pin and Julie and Jacques Cooking at Home with Julia Child.

3. He Holds a Degree in Bachelor of Arts

After Pepin migrated to the United States in 1959, he enrolled in English for foreign students, a GED equivalent, and eventually General Studies classes toward a Bachelor of Arts degree at Columbia University.

In 1970, P茅pin earned his Bachelor of arts from Columbia University’s School of General Studies, and later a Masters of Arts in French literature from the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

P茅pin also entered into a doctoral program at Columbia, but his proposed thesis on French food in literature was rejected for being “too frivolous for serious academic pursuit.

4. He is a Media Personality

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Following a near-fatal car accident in 1974, P茅pin’s career as a restaurant chef ended abruptly, He later reinvented himself as an educator, author, and eventually a television personality.

He filmed his first television series, with PBS local station WJCT-TV in Jacksonville, Florida, and published a companion cookbook entitled Everyday Cooking with Jacques P茅pin.

Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, P茅pin was published as a columnist for The New York Times, and a guest author for Gourmet, Food & Wine, and many others.

5. P茅pin has Worked with Major Cruise Ships

Throughout his career, Pepin has toured and taught on cruise ships including Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Crystal Cruises and Princess Cruises lines.

In 2003, he was named the executive culinary director of Oceania Cruises, and he is credited with helping it achieve its reputation for culinary excellence and style.

P茅pin continues to teach at the ICC and at BU and offers book signings, culinary demonstrations, and classes on Oceania cruises and at various locations across the US, several times per year.

On February 5, 2010, during the christening of MS Marina, P茅pin was named an honorary commodore of the Oceania Cruises fleet,  for which he serves as Executive Culinary Director.

6. P茅pin Enjoys Drawing and Painting

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Since his time as a student at Columbia University, P茅pin has dabbled in and enjoyed drawing and painting. In recent years, he has committed more time to his art and enjoyed some success with commercial sales on his website, Jacques P茅pin Art, and juried shows.

On his website, he offers some of his original artwork and fine art prints for sale. Gallery-Size Prints, Photographs, and Gift-Size Print Sets are also available. A portion of sales from the site go to support culinary education and sustainability.

7. He has been Honoured with Several Awards

P茅pin has received three of the French government’s honors.  He received a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in1997 and a Chevalier de L’Ordre du M茅rite Agricole in 1992.

He received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Boston University on May 22, 2011. In October 2011, P茅pin was the recipient of the first-ever tribute dinner at the New York Food and Wine Festival.

In October 2004, he received France’s L茅gion d’honneur and also received 24 James Beard Foundation awards.

8. He was involved in a near Fatal Accident

In 1974, P茅pin was badly injured while driving on a country road when a deer leaped in front of his car and he swerved to avoid it. His car hit the deer, veered off the road, and then crashed into a ravine.

He fractured 14 bones in his back, pelvis, and arms. His left arm was so badly injured that physicians initially wanted to amputate it. He fully recovered, but his left shoulder remained limited in mobility and his left arm is several inches shorter than his right.

In his autobiography, Pepin notes that his accident caused him to realize that he would not be able to continue working full-time as a chef/restaurateur.

9. Pepin Appeared on PBS-TV Series

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P茅pin shared the spotlight with Julia Child in an earlier PBS-TV series that still is shown occasionally on public television stations.

This twenty-two show series, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, was the winner of The James Beard Foundation聮s Award for Best National Cooking Show聴2001, and the duo received a 2001 Daytime Emmy Award from The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

There is a companion cookbook to the series he did with Child and also to two earlier public television series he co-hosted with his daughter, Jacques P茅pins.

10. He Co-founded Jacques P茅pin Foundation

In 2016, Pepin with his daughter Claudine P茅pin and son-in-law Rollie Wesen, Jacques created his eponymous, non-profit, organization the Jacques P茅pin Foundation (JPF).

The mission of the foundation is to support organizations that provide culinary training to adults and youths with barriers to employment such as low income, low skills, homelessness, issues with substance abuse, and previous incarceration.

The JPF provides grants, independent research, source, and curricular materials, equipment, direct teaching, and video instruction to community-based culinary training programs around the USA