The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin
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Book Reviews of The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen
Book Review: Great Bio
Summary: 5 Stars
Great bio complete with recipes you can't find in Pepin's cookbooks. A friend of mine loaned me his copy and I'm getting one myself for reference.Book Review: Charming and Funny
Summary: 5 Stars
This autobiography of a chef who moves from France to America is fun and fill of French charm.
Book Review: A delicious view into a culinary icon's life
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a little confession to make. I have a teeny weeny crush on Jacques Pepin. Well, maybe a little more than teeny weeny. Blame it on his intimate cooking show on PBS that I have to watch every single week. With that slight accent, charming looks and a swift, comfortable manner around the kitchen, who wouldn't have a crush on him? It doesn't matter that he is old enough to be my grandfather; with his avuncular style, I wish he was my grandfather!
Anyway, I approached this book with the above bias. I had never read his books before, not even his cookbooks! So I didn't know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise, Pepin's writing style mirrors his speaking style: relaxed, confident, humorous and warm. As he retold the story of his life, from his mischief-laden childhood to his gruelling apprenticeship and subsequent professional life in the US, he maintained a very comfortable, intimate tone that suspends the readers' interest. As I was reading the book, I felt like I was sitting in the kitchen, enjoying a glass of wine with Pepin himself, while he re-told the story of his life.
The book shed light not only to Jacques Pepin's life, but also to the Old World style of kitchen apprenticeship in France. It is so interesting to have a peek at one of my favorite chef's lives, getting to know his culinary influences from his childhood and experiences. It is gratifying that Jacques Pepin seemed to always remember every meal that he had throughout his life, regaling the readers with every single detail about some freshly-shucked oysters or the silkiness of some hollandaise, etc. The book focuses on his apprenticeship and culinary life, with the occasional foray into his personal life. Although I would've liked to know a little more about his personal life (that's the tabloid addict in me talking), I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable must-read by any self-proclaimed foodie!
Book Review: Food Memories
Summary: 4 Stars
The mention of the name Jacques Pepin evokes memories of watching countless cooking shows and reading several books on classical technique. This book is extraordinary in that the author intersperses food memories with the different chapters of his life. I found myself involuntarily recounting my own food memories as I went through the book. I certainly have less food memories than the author but the book's effect on me was unique and remarkable.
The Apprentice is an important book. Jacques Pepin's life contains many lessons for the would be chefs. He is certainly an important character in our collective culinary consciousness -- a staunch stalwart for Classical French technique in a culinary landscape dotted with fusion pollution and inedible experiments in molecular gastronomy.
This only gets four stars because Pepin is a polite author. I believe that he is from the old school -- "if you can't say anything nice about a person then don't say anything at all." This politeness will disappoint those readers looking for the bite of Bourdain, the narrative skills of Buford, or the rude honesty of Ramsay. I would have certainly given this book five stars if the author had given more emotional investment to his story. While I was reading this book I often felt that there were more stories that could be told.
Book Review: One of the best "food" books I've ever read
Summary: 4 Stars
I actually ordered this book on a whim, after seeing it mentioned in Bourdain's "Les Halles Cookbook" (another excellent title). I just received it 3 days ago and have almost finished it! This is a great book. Pepin's life is interesting, exciting, and full of lucky circumstances. I really enjoyed reading about his childhood growing up in France and his arrival in America.
Pepin is also very witty and funny (at times making me laugh out loud during my commute, which illicited several curious stares from other CTA passengers!), with a certain french charm. The recipes are also look very good and there are several I'm planning to make.
My only problem with this book (and why I didn't give it 5 stars) is because it was too short! I really wanted it to be longer and for Pepin to go into more detail. But, other than that, it's an excellent book.