Jacques Pepin is my favorite of the TV cooking personalities. I started getting serious about cooking about two years ago and went on a voracious quest to get it all figured out. I kept bumping into his videos and stuff and he always impressed me. He just seems authoritative somehow. Plus he’s just cool.
Pepin worked for years in French restaurants where he honed his perfect technique and astonishing knife skills. He was a cook for Charles DeGaulle, I believe. He then came to America where he worked for Howard Johnson, developing some of their signature dishes. At the same time, he attended Columbia University (when an Ivy League degree meant something!) where he got a undergraduate degree and doctorate in philosophy, I believe. He’s also a talented artist. In other words, me makes me feel like a worm!