The influential French American chef, author, television personality and educator Jacques Pépin has spent seven decades teaching home cooks that French cooking doesn’t require formal training or fancy equipment. He’s built his reputation and following by stripping away intimidation from classical technique, showing that a flawless French omelet or a neatly trussed roast chicken is within reach.
Now, as Pépin approaches his 90th birthday on Dec. 18, the culinary world is returning the favor with 90 chef-hosted dinners and events held in collaboration with chefs and restaurants across the country through the end of the year.
The 90/90 Dinner Series will raise funds for the Jacques Pépin Foundation, the nonprofit he established in 2016 to expand access to culinary education and workforce training, while showcasing the recipes and methods that defined his career.
Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, Homeward Bound of Marin’s flagship job training program and a longtime beneficiary of the foundation’s support, is hosting a dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Key Room in Novato.
Moderated by KQED’s Leslie Sbrocco, the Emmy- and James Beard Award-winning host of “Check, Please! Bay Area,” the four-course meal of Pépin classics will feature chefs Heidi Krahling, cookbook author and co-founder of Insalata’s in San Anselmo, and Roland Passot, the French chef behind La Folie and Left Bank Brasserie. During the program, Sbrocco will lead a conversation with the chefs about Pépin’s influence on their work.
“I saw Pépin teach a class at my cooking school when I was in my 20s and was blown away by his speed, precision and craft,” Krahling said. “He made it look doable. I remember he told us, ‘Practice, practice and you will become skilled chefs.’ With that fabulous accent and charm, I became a believer.”
Marin chef Heidi Krahling will share how Jacques Pépin inspired her at a special event on Saturday at the Key Room in Novato. (Courtesy of Heidi Krahling)
Krahling will kick off the evening in the Key Room’s showcase kitchen with brandade de morue, a Provençal purée of salt cod emulsified with olive oil and served with a toasted baguette, radicchio and escarole. The menu continues with chicken chasseur, and closes with coffee and hazelnut dacquoise. The dinner also includes a cheese course from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., four wine options and raffle items.
Event proceeds will support the academy’s tuition-free, 11-week training for low-income adults, which provides hands-on instruction from professional chefs in core kitchen skills, operations, hygiene, seasonal cooking and recipe scaling. The program also offers free food handler and ServSafe manager certification, professional development in financial literacy and résumé writing, a completion bonus and job placement support.
Three additional Bay Area dinners follow later this month. Michelin-starred Plumed Horse in Saratoga will serve a five-course menu with wine pairings on Nov. 14. The InterContinental San Francisco will bring together chefs from hotels across the group’s network for a four-course dinner on Nov. 15. And eastern Mediterranean restaurant Dalida in San Francisco will round out the local lineup on Nov. 16 with a family-style, five-course meal with paired wines.
The Jacques Pépin Foundation reflects the chef’s enduring belief that the ability to cook can transform lives, whether at home or in a professional kitchen. Through his unpretentious approach to technique, he’s opened doors for generations of cooks by making culinary education accessible, particularly for people facing employment barriers such as homelessness, incarceration or other life challenges.
Hundreds of hours of free instructional videos are available through its website, YouTube and social media channels, along with a members-only video recipe collection featuring contributions from accomplished chefs. The foundation’s Community Kitchens Support program distributes grants, cookbook libraries and training resources to workforce development programs nationwide, helping under-resourced individuals build careers in hospitality.
The 90/90 campaign, the foundation’s first nationwide fundraising effort, builds on that work by expanding grants, strengthening community partnerships and developing a national online learning platform for culinary training programs. It also helps to preserve and promote Pépin’s legacy, ensuring that his approach to food and community continues to inspire future generations.
For more about the foundation and the remaining dinner dates and locations, or for information on how to host an event, visit celebratejacques.org.
To reserve a seat at the Novato dinner ($150) at 1385 North Hamilton Parkway, go to bit.ly/FS-chefevents. Reservations close at 5 p.m. Thursday. The site also lists upcoming Fresh Starts events, including a dinner with chef Dustin Valette and vintner Dan Kosta (Nov. 13), holiday baking with chef Dave Leyva (Nov. 14), holiday cookies with chef Marco Soto (Nov. 20) and sausage making with celebrity butcher David Budworth (Dec. 11).
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.com.
Dining and Cooking