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NORWALK

By KEITH LORIA

Hour Correspondent


Growing up spending his days playing in his family-owned Le Pellican restaurant in France, it's no surprise to learn that Jacques Pépin's earliest memories are of kitchens and family recipes. He began cooking at 12 and trained under some of the finest chefs in Paris, and soon after moving to the United States in 1959, he started to make a name for himself among the fine dining crowd. Today, the 73-year-old is considered one of the most famous and popular culinary experts in the world.

"I don't remember any time since I was 5 that I wasn't in a restaurant somewhere," Pépin says. "I left home in 1949 and it's been 60 years and I have always loved what I do."

His first taste of wide-spread fame came in 1976, with the release of his cookbook "La Methode: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking," which is considered by many to be a textbook guide for teaching the fundamentals of French cuisine.

"I am known the best for that book of cooking technique and that was very important to me," he says. "I wanted to write something that would be very good technique. For a home cook, you need to know a little about cooking and a little about technique but particularly, you must love to eat, to like to cook and have a little talent."

The success of that first book has led to 26 published cookbooks and 11 PBS television shows on cooking, including the best selling "Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way" series.

"Since that first book, I always ended up being asked to do another book and eventually I started going into television, and each time the program led into a book," Pépin says. "'Fast Food My Way' was brought about by the 26-show TV series, and how to create food quick is something that I am always asked."

Unlike when he first came to this country and found the supermarkets rather barren with the ingredients he needed, today he says you can find anything from leaks to shallots to cooked chickens. He recommends speeding up cooking by taking advantage of canned ingredients such as pre-washed vegetables and pre-sliced mushrooms.

"People say no one cooks anymore, but I don't think that's true. People cook, but they want fast recipes," Pépin says. "I want to make life for people easier. Sometimes I am pressed for time, and need to do a really easy, fast recipe. You can make something in 7-8 minutes."

Each recipe in the cookbook and television series draws from Asian, Latin American and European culinary techniques to share 100 fast, fresh and healthy recipes that are easy to prepare and can fit into any busy weeknight schedule.

Pépin will be appearing at Stew Leonard's Norwalk store on Nov. 6 to demonstrate several of his favorite one-minute appetizers and sign copies of his autobiography "The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen" and his latest cookbook, "Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way."

"They have a very limited space for demonstrations but I will do a simple recipe from the book and show some of the minute recipes," he previews. "You buy a piece of salmon and you cut in inch cubes and put some salt and herbs and add a toothpick and it's a beautiful piece. I'm going to use large butter beans with French mustard. Those are recipes that are very easy that you can do when people come to your house at the last moment."

For Pépin, the most important thing is for his fans to have a good time and learn some great tips for cooking from his lessons.

"I love the challenge of teaching," he says. "I've taught literature, I've taught skiing and I've taught cooking, and I'm better at cooking, but establishing a rapport with someone and trying to get them enthusiastic and show them something they don't know to get them interested is very satisfying."

The acclaimed chef is already hard at work on his next cookbook and that means spending even more time in his kitchen.

"I'm cooking all the time and always in the process of doing a new book so I'm in the process of trying new recipes," he says. " I am cooking every day because I want to eat. I'm always hungry. I have been married 43 years and I don't remember one day we didn't sit down together for dinner."


Culinary icon Jacques Pépin will be at Stew Leonard's Norwalk Store, 100 Westport Ave., for a recipe demonstration and book signing on Friday, Nov. 6 from 5-7 p.m. For more information, call 847-7213.

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