Long Live Leftovers: Chef Jacques Pépin on the Joy of Thrifty Cooking
10/19/23 • 40 min
As a child in eastern France, Jacques Pépin learned never to waste a scrap of food. Raised during and after the rationing of WWII, he watched closely as his mother, Jeanette, built a successful career as a restaurateur by the skin of her teeth (and her chickens). Today, Jacques is a beloved celebrity chef. And yet he’s never forgotten what he knows about keeping food, and life delicious, without squandering ingredients or time. Jacques sits down with Host Claudia Hanna to explain how what he calls “miserly” cooking became his philosophy and his superpower. He shares how this approach has served him in the humblest, and the highest, of kitchens, and how you can apply it in yours, too. Plus – over Jacques’ long career, there have been some pretty radical changes in people’s attitudes about food waste. Food Historian Helen Veit joins us to explain why what we eat, and what we throw away, has changed so much in just a few generations.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guests:
Jacques Pépin is a chef, author, television personality, educator, and artist, and has starred in twelve acclaimed American Public Television cooking series. His dedication to culinary education led to the creation of the Jacques Pépin Foundation in 2016. He is the winner of sixteen James Beard Awards and author of more than thirty books, the most recent of which is Jacques Pépin: Cooking My Way.
Helen Veit specializes in the history of food in the U.S. Her first book, Modern Food, Moral Food: Self-Control, Science, and the Rise of Modern American Eating in the Early Twentieth Century was a 2014 James Beard Award finalist.
Recipes:
Claudia’s Homemade Caesar Dressing
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As a child in eastern France, Jacques Pépin learned never to waste a scrap of food. Raised during and after the rationing of WWII, he watched closely as his mother, Jeanette, built a successful career as a restaurateur by the skin of her teeth (and her chickens). Today, Jacques is a beloved celebrity chef. And yet he’s never forgotten what he knows about keeping food, and life delicious, without squandering ingredients or time. Jacques sits down with Host Claudia Hanna to explain how what he calls “miserly” cooking became his philosophy and his superpower. He shares how this approach has served him in the humblest, and the highest, of kitchens, and how you can apply it in yours, too. Plus – over Jacques’ long career, there have been some pretty radical changes in people’s attitudes about food waste. Food Historian Helen Veit joins us to explain why what we eat, and what we throw away, has changed so much in just a few generations.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guests:
Jacques Pépin is a chef, author, television personality, educator, and artist, and has starred in twelve acclaimed American Public Television cooking series. His dedication to culinary education led to the creation of the Jacques Pépin Foundation in 2016. He is the winner of sixteen James Beard Awards and author of more than thirty books, the most recent of which is Jacques Pépin: Cooking My Way.
Helen Veit specializes in the history of food in the U.S. Her first book, Modern Food, Moral Food: Self-Control, Science, and the Rise of Modern American Eating in the Early Twentieth Century was a 2014 James Beard Award finalist.
Recipes:
Claudia’s Homemade Caesar Dressing
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Previous Episode
From Sauerkraut to Miso: How Fermentation Changed the World
In recent years, more and more fermented foods like kimchi, probiotic yogurt and kombucha have hit supermarket shelves in America, along with news of their purported health benefits. But where did fermentation come from, and how did this ancient practice help change the landscape of our world?
Today, on If This Food Could Talk, we are taking a deep dive into the art and science of fermentation – a food practice with a universal history. One that is deeply intertwined with the evolution of humanity itself.
We’ll meet New York Times bestselling author and fermentation expert Sandor Katz, and follow his journey from New York City to the hills of Tennessee. Along the way we’ll discover how fermentation has changed the landscape of our world. And we’ll hear why Sandor believes reclaiming these ancient practices may have an important role to play in our collective future.
We’ll also speak with James Beard Award winning chef Ann Kim, about the traditional Korean fermentation practice that helps her celebrate her heritage.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guests:
Sandor Katz, fermentation expert and author of New York Times Bestseller “The Art of Fermentation”
Ann Kim, James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur. Owner of Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza, Young Joni and Sooki & Mimi
Recipes:
Make your Own Yogurt from Scratch!
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Next Episode
We Want Your Food Stories For An Upcoming Episode
We are putting together a show all about the special dishes in our lives. Be they elaborate all day affairs or quick and simple we know it's not just about nutrients and taste, it's about people and story. So, we want to hear from you! As we are nearing the holidays and the end of the year, we are thinking about the food in our own families and lives. We all have recipes that have been passed down... or even meals that ... stay with us. What do these dishes say about who we are, and where we come from?
That’s the question we want YOU to answer. We’d like you to share a recipe and story about a dish you love. And we want to hear specifics: How did this dish find its way into your life? Is it served on a special occasion or in a special way? Can you tell us about a time that you made it – or it was made for you? Who was it with, and why was it special for you?
Please record a voice memo for us. Include your name, the dish or meal you’re thinking about, and the backstory. We’d also love for you to email us the recipe! Send your voice memo and recipe to [email protected]
We may use your voice and story in an upcoming episode and the recipe on our website. We can’t wait to hear from you!
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