Jacques Pepin: Chez Jacques/Chez Alliance Francaise

A couple of weeks ago I had the fun of talking to Jacques Pepin about his life and his gorgeous new book, Chez Jacques, on the stage at New York’s Alliance Francaise.  Of course, I meant to tell you about it the minute I got home, but …

Let me start by saying something you probably already know, but I want it out there:  Jacques is as nice, smart, charming and, yes, good-looking in person as he is on television.  Okay, now we can move on.

While I’ve known Jacques and his wife Gloria for about 20 years – I even had his old over-under electric oven in my Connecticut kitchen for a while – I’d never spent as much concentrated time with him as I did the week before our Alliance date.  Of course, most of that time was spent reading, but reading Jacques’ new book is almost the same as being with him in his comfortable Connecticut home; the title Chez Jacques is perfect, the book is that personal.

And I re-read The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen, Jacques’ culinary biography and a treat no one should go through life without.  I read The Apprentice from cover-to-cover in one sitting and thought, as I often think at the end of a good novel, one in which I’ve been happy to spend time with the characters: I wish it weren’t over!  It’s a spectacular read and so interesting – this is the true, really true, story of what it meant to be a chef before chefs became rock stars; actually, even rock stars weren’t rock stars when young Jacques was learning how to peel onions!

So, to prep for the interview I: read, read, read; went to hear Jacques speak at my favorite bookstore in Connecticut, R.J. Julia, in Madison, Jacques’ hometown; made the perfect roasted chicken, part of the perfect dinner, from Chez Jacques; had drinks with Jacques and Gloria at our house; and went to dinner with them at Liv’s Oyster Bar in Old Saybrook, CT, a great addition to our limited roster of good restaurants in the area – the chef/owner, John Brescio, is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where Jacques is a Dean. 

When it came time to interview Jacques, I had a ton of questions and then, even though we had an hour or so of stage time, barely a minute to ask them.  Not surprisingly, Jacques doesn’t need an interviewer!  He’s got so many good stories, and he’s sooooooooooo charming, that all he really needed me to do was say, “Here’s Jacques!” and then, 45 minutes later, make the T-sign, whistle and shout, “Time’s up!”

Well, I might not have gotten to ask Jacques my questions, but here are just a few of the Jacquesian pearls I culled over the week:

• Be miserly – use everything in the kitchen.  This is the dictum that informs the delicious Fromage Fort (click for the recipe) that you’re very likely to be served with drinks chez Jacques: it’s a spread made from leftover bits and pieces of cheeses and it can be served hot or cold.


• 
  Keep your leftovers, but don’t just reheat them, they’re often disappointing the second time around – try to use them to make something new.


• 
  You can judge a chef, a restaurant (and, by extension I’d guess, your own skills) by the roast chicken, a dish that Jacques says expresses simplicity and quality.  When Jacques is teaching at Boston University(he and Julia Child started the culinary program there), he tests the students’ skills by asking them to roast a chicken.

• Even using the same recipe and the same ingredients, each cook’s dish will taste different:  your mood affects what you cook.  (I always believed this and it was nice to have it confirmed.)


• Develop your taste memory; it’s more important than recipes.

• The recipes that matter are the ones you share with family and friends; the reason to cook is to share the food you’ve made: food tastes better when it’s shared.  (Knew that also – bet you did too.)

Comments

[Lorrijon]

Cann someone please help me find a Jacques Pepin recipe: chicken with tons of green onions, cooked on stovetop. Saw on TV years ago--delicious!

[Zoe]

I love the tip from Jacques about being miserly and using all leftovers. It is great to know that even some great chefs out there still believe in not wasting anything. I get sick of seeing so much food wasted! Thank you!

[Dorie]

Meryl, thank you so much for picking up on the typo. You're right -- it was major!

Martine, welcome. I assume you heard Afternoon Magazine on the web, yes? Isn't it fabulous how we can be connected even though we're continents and oceans apart?

Meryl, captivating is a great word to describe Jacques Pepin. One of the things that I think is so wonderful about him is his generosity -- he's a born teacher and he wants to pass along what he knows. That he does it so well is a gift to all of us.

[Meryl]

Hey Dorie,

There's a major typo here:
"Be misery – use everything in the kitchen.." I think you meant "miserly," n'est-ce pas?

Thanks for your great blog!

[martine watts]

Hi Dorie, Ilive in Botswana, in the southern part of Africa and stumbled on your interview about the Baking book on Afternoon Magazine. I enjoyed it so much that I went to look for your blog. Just wanted you to know it's great, I love your passion and enthusiasm for good food. Keep up the great work
Regards
Martine

[gilly]

Hi Dorie!
One can sense the charisma in just about anything written regarding Jacques Pepin - so much experience, but so much more BEHIND that experience. Captivating is the best word I can think of to describe him. Thank you for sharing your insight on your conversation with him - I laughed at the "Here's Jacques!" and T-sign comment.