We happen to believe that Jacques is one of the greatest culinary instructors of all time, but we were recently surprised to learn he’s also a great English teacher! As Teacher Appreciation Month comes to a close, here is an excerpt from a fun story that Chef Josh Riazi, COO of JPF Grantee Genesis Center – CHOP, shared at their 90/90 Celebration in March:
Last week, I told my mother about this dinner, and—completely unprompted—she reminded me that when she and my father moved to the U.S. from Iran in the late ’70s, she learned English in part by watching TV. Specifically, PBS cooking shows. Specifically, Jacques.
But here’s the best part—my father overheard this and immediately jumped in, saying, “Oh no! Not that French guy!” I was confused until he started explaining:
For a while, my mother was watching TV to learn English, but one day my father came home early from work and found her watching the Spanish channel. She knew so little at the time that she had no idea! So, of course, he switched the channel to PBS, thinking he’d solved the problem. But then, a few weeks later, he came home again and completely panicked—because now my mother was pronouncing everything with a French accent. She had been watching Jacques’ cooking demos so intently that she was imitating his speech. To this day, she still says hamburger with a heavy French accent.
So, Jacques, in a way, you didn’t just teach my mother how to cook—you taught her French-inflected English.
(Photo of CHOP student courtesy of Genesis Center – CHOP)
