In a Hartford Courant interview with Frank Rizzo in Jacques Pepin’s Madison Connecticut kitchen, the chef talks about being an “American Chef.”
Jacques will be honored as the subject of an episode of a new PBS “American Masters” series called “Chef’s Flight.” The first episode, titled “Jacques Pepin: The Art of Craft”, had it’s world premiere in San Francisco. And will air on PBS stations in May.
“Strangely enough, people often look at me as the quintessential French chef but,‘’ he says, pointing to a stack of his cookbooks, ‘I have a black bean soup recipe and one for a lobster roll, fried chicken and even sushi.’ With this eclectic sensibility, he says, ‘I really am the quintessential American chef.’
“Pépin sees himself as an ever-learning apprentice with a life that’s continually adapting to new tastes, new approaches and new opportunities, all grounded in masterful skillsets.
“For more than 40 years Pépin and Gloria, his wife of more than 50 years, have lived in their Connecticut home, which Pépin helped renovate. His father was a cabinetmaker — and a member of the Resistance during the war — ‘and I’ve always liked to work with my hands.’
“Pépin sees himself as an ever-learning apprentice with a life that’s continually adapting to new tastes, new approaches and new opportunities, all grounded in masterful skillets.”