Skip to content

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen P\xE9pin, Jacques
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen P\xE9pin, Jacques Hardcover - 2003

by Pépin, Jacques

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover

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 Award<en>winning 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 café, 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 soufflé 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.

Description

Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003-04-10. hardcover. Very Good. 5x1x8. clean well kept hardcover copy with dust jacket, price tag unclipped, no markings, stickers or stains. fast shipping with tracking number.
Used - Very Good
NZ$116.36
NZ$3.32 Shipping to USA
Standard delivery: 5 to 8 days
More Shipping Options
Ships from RUSH HOUR BUSINESS (Massachusetts, United States)

Details

  • Title The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen P\xE9pin, Jacques
  • Author Pépin, Jacques
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Condition Used - Very Good
  • Pages 336
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston
  • Date 2003-04-10
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Bookseller's Inventory # HOHO-228-11-20-2020
  • ISBN 9780618197378 / 0618197370
  • Weight 1.4 lbs (0.64 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.15 in (23.62 x 16.00 x 2.92 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Cookery, Pepin, Jacques
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002192158
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About RUSH HOUR BUSINESS Massachusetts, United States

Biblio member since 2017
Seller rating: This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.

Terms of Sale: 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.

Browse books from RUSH HOUR BUSINESS

Summary

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 Award<en>winning 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 café, 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 soufflé 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.

First line

MY MOTHER made it sound like a great adventure.

Categories

Media reviews

"Prose as joyful and rich as the author's food." Kirkus Reviews

".....a delicious book...a joy." -The New York Times Book Review The New York Times Book Review

"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

"The kind of well-prepared prose you want to devour slowly." The Oregonian

"A well written, funny, sad, informative and always enchanting account of an incredible career. . . An instant classic." Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential

"A feast." People Magazine

"Pepin writes the way most chefs wish they could cook. . . (The Apprentice) goes down like a feast. . . a worthy indulgence." Gentleman's Quarterly

"An appetizing read." The Oregonian

"A fun chronicle of a half century of progress in the American kitchen." - Saveur