Overview

In this captivating memoir, the man whom Julia Child has called the best chef in America tells the story of his rise from a frightened apprentice in an exacting Old World kitchen to an Emmy Awardwinning superstar who taught millions of Americans how to cook and shaped the nation's tastes in the bargain. We see young Jacques as a homesick six-year-old boy in war-ravaged France, working on a farm in exchange for food, dodging bombs, and bearing witness as German soldiers capture his father, a fighter in the Resistance. Soon Jacques is caught up in the hurly-burly action of his mother's cafe, where he proves a natural. He endures a literal trial by fire and works his way up the ladder in the feudal system of France's most famous restaurant, finally becoming Charles de Gaulle's personal chef, watching the world being refashioned from the other side of the kitchen door. When he comes to America, Jacques immediately falls in with a small group of as-yet-unknown food lovers, including Craig Claiborne, James Beard, and Julia Child, whose adventures redefine American food. Through it all, Jacques proves himself to be a master of the American art of reinvention: earning a graduate degree from Columbia University, turning down a job as John F. Kennedy's chef to work at Howard Johnson's, and, after a near-fatal car accident, switching careers once again to become a charismatic leader in the revolution that changed the way Americans approached food. Included as well are approximately forty all-time favorite recipes created during the course of a career spanning nearly half a century, from his mother's utterly simple cheese souffle to his wife's pork ribs and red beans. The Apprentice is the poignant and sometimes funny tale of a boy's coming of age. Beyond that, it is the story of America's culinary awakening and the transformation of food from an afterthought to a national preoccupation.

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9780358380054

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Reviews

A delicious book...A joy. -- New York Times Book Review A fun chronicle of a half century of progress in the American kitchen. -- Saveur An appetizing read. -- Oregonian Pepin writes the way most chefs wish they could cook...(The Apprentice) goes down like a feast...A worthy indulgence. -- Gentleman's Quarterly A feast. -- People Magazine A well written, funny, sad, informative and always enchanting account of an incredible career...An instant classic. -- Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential The kind of well-prepared prose you want to devour slowly. -- Oregonian The real pleasure of this book is spending time with a thoughtful and sophisticated man, one whose memories and thoughts inevitably turn to food and cooking. -- Epicurious Prose as joyful and rich as the author's food. -- Kirkus Reviews

A fun chronicle of a half century of progress in the American kitchen. -- Saveur An appetizing read. -- Oregonian Pepin writes the way most chefs wish they could cook...(The Apprentice) goes down like a feast...A worthy indulgence. -- Gentleman's Quarterly A feast. -- People Magazine A well written, funny, sad, informative and always enchanting account of an incredible career...An instant classic. -- Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential The kind of well-prepared prose you want to devour slowly. -- Oregonian The real pleasure of this book is spending time with a thoughtful and sophisticated man, one whose memories and thoughts inevitably turn to food and cooking. -- Epicurious A delicious book...A joy. -- New York Times Book Review Prose as joyful and rich as the author's food. -- Kirkus Reviews

A fun chronicle of a half century of progress in the American kitchen. -- Saveur The real pleasure of this book is spending time with a thoughtful and sophisticated man, one whose memories and thoughts inevitably turn to food and cooking. -- Epicurious A delicious book...A joy. -- New York Times Book Review An appetizing read. -- Oregonian Pepin writes the way most chefs wish they could cook...(The Apprentice) goes down like a feast...A worthy indulgence. -- Gentleman's Quarterly A feast. -- People Magazine A well written, funny, sad, informative and always enchanting account of an incredible career...An instant classic. -- Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential The kind of well-prepared prose you want to devour slowly. -- Oregonian Prose as joyful and rich as the author's food. -- Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

The winner of sixteen James Beard Awards and author of twenty-nine cookbooks, including A Grandfather's Lessons, Jacques Pepin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, and Essential Pepin, JACQUES PEPIN has starred in twelve acclaimed PBS cooking series. He was awarded France's highest distinction, the Legion of Honor. The winner of sixteen James Beard Awards and author of twenty-nine cookbooks, including A Grandfather's Lessons, Jacques Pepin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, and Essential Pepin, JACQUES PEPIN has starred in twelve acclaimed PBS cooking series. He was awarded France's highest distinction, the Legion of Honor.

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