Great Cooking Favors The Prepared Hands.

I Was Chef To The French Presidents Between '56 And '59, Finished With De Gaulle, And During De Gaulle I Remember Serving Eisenhower, Nehru, Tito, Macmillan; Those Were The Heads Of State At The Time. I Never Saw Anyone. No One Would Ever, Ever, Ever Come To The Kitchen. You Couldn't Even See Them.

This June, I'll Travel Once Again To The Food And Wine Magazine Classic In Aspen, Colorado. For Many Years, My Dear Friend Julia Child And I Have Teamed Up To Teach Classes Together At The Event; For The Past Seven Years, My Daughter, Claudine, Has Been My Cooking Partner On Stage.

Probably A Mistake, You Know, That People Make In America, To Think That All Great Chefs Are A Male... I'm Still The Only Male In The Family Who Went Into That Business.

I Say: If You Don't Know How To Cook, I'm Sure You Have At Least One Friend Who Knows How To Cook. Well, Call That Friend And Say, 'can I Come Next Time And Can I Bring Some Food And Can I Come An Hour Or Two Hours Ahead And Watch You And Help You?'

I Taped My First Series For Pbs In 1982 At Wjct-tv In Jacksonville, Florida. The Show, Called 'everyday Cooking With Jacques Pepin,' Was About Saving Time And Money In The Kitchen - And It Was A Celebration Of Simple And Unpretentious Food.