We were touched by the recent article in The New York Times on Jacques’ landmark cookbook, La Technique, marking its enduring influence on culinary education 50 years after its publication. The piece by Pete Wells highlighted how La Technique—now published as Jacques Pépin Complete Techniques—has been a foundational text, using photographs to explain fundamental kitchen techniques for any home cook or professional chef. The Times even spoke to a few of Jacques’ notable chef friends who saw their lives transformed by the book’s groundbreaking approach to culinary education.
In the 50 years since the debut of La Technique and nearly 10 years since the Jacques Pépin Foundation was founded, we have seen firsthand how impactful this book is for novice cooks. One of the many ways we offer support to our Community Kitchen partners beyond funding is by providing them with a collection of Jacques Pépin books. We’ve sent hundreds of copies of Complete Techniques as part of a JPF Library to organizations nationwide, and we look forward to sharing their stories of how the book has impacted their work and their students.
Our own Executive Director, Rollie Wesen, shared this note on the recent interest in the book:
We are grateful for Jacques’ original work and its continuing appreciation by the public. We are committed to sharing Jacques’ teachings and joyful approach to cooking for decades to come. We all eat to live, but it is through cooking that we truly thrive.
We so appreciate that Pete Wells (pictured above with Jacques, Rollie, and Claudine) and the publisher of Complete Technique, Black Dog & Leventhal, recognize the importance of accessible culinary education for all. If you’d like to learn more about the place that La Technique holds in culinary history, read the article on the NYT website (potential paywall) or see all of the Community Kitchens that have received a JPF library here. We trust that Complete Techniques will continue to bring joy, opportunity, and connection across communities for another 50 years.