The Apprentice

This is an in-depth, personal account of the professional development of world class chefs in France, and then beyond. Starting as a Lyonaise third comi, Pepin progresses through the regional and capital ranks, progressing through a military tour, bouncing off fine restaurants, and landing jobs as top chef with the French Secretary of Finance, and finally with Charles DeGualle. Turning down an offer to be chef for President Kennedy, he learns cooking for the masses as an industrial researcher and consultant for Howard Johnsons in the 1960s, as a successful Manhattan restauranteur, and, finally, a professor of cuisine. Weaving in and out of fine restaurant engagements in France and the United States, and through a sea of well-known personalities (gastronomic and otherwise), Pepin tells of, among other things, his struggles to obtain late academic success , the fundamentals of nouvelle cuisine, and the similarities between Soul Food and haute cuisine.