The Apprentice: My
Life in the Kitchen
Jacques Pepin
Category: Nonficiton:
Memoir, Food & Cooking, France
Synopsis: Chef Jacques Pepin recounts his life spent
in French food and beyond.
Date finished: 28
August 2014
Rating: ****
Comments:
If you’re looking for a good solid memoir about food and
being a chef, The Apprentice is your
book. Jacques Pepin grew up in France, learned to cook at his mother’s side,
did his apprentice work in various parts of France, and served as chef to
French President Charles DeGaulle. As a young man, he came to America and ended
up at Howard Johnson’s test kitchens, creating food in mass quantities to be
frozen and distributed to the many Ho-Jos throughout America.
Pepin was a respectable guy who counted Julia Child among
his closest friends. In America, he married and raised one daughter. He went on
to write many books, including The Art of
Cooking, a two-volume set edited by Judith Jones, who also served as Julia
Child’s editor. He also produced cooking shows on television.
This is what I consider a classical memoir. He tells the
story of his life in an engaging and relatable way. There’s nothing flashy
here, but he also doesn’t take himself too seriously to be fun. I recommend
this book to anyone who loves food, France, or both.
Would you recommend
this to a friend?
Yes.
You might also enjoy:
My Life in FranceDearie
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
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