Through our network partners, Catalyst Kitchens and Feeding America, we have identified over 100 community kitchens across the country dedicated to improving lives and strengthening communities through culinary training. These programs offer individuals free culinary and life skills training that leads to increased confidence, better health and more employment opportunities. Our goal is to discover every organization that does this work and to create a community that shares best practices and effective curricula.
Our Support for Community Kitchens
The Jacques Pépin Foundation supports culinary arts education and job training. Our mission is in part realized by supporting non-profit, community-based, culinary arts training programs that offer life skills and culinary training to adults with high barriers to employment.
2022 Grant Program for Community-Based Culinary Arts Training Programs
2022 Gloria Pépin Memorial Grant. Previously JPF-Funded Community Based Culinary Programs Are Invited to Apply.
Since we started our grant program in 2019, we have granted over $600,000 to more than 35 different organizations nationwide. The pandemic has created desperate need, and we believe that culinary skills for the economic and physical health of under-served populations are more important than ever.
The JPF shares content from Jacques’ rich legacy of cookbooks and videos with community kitchens to be used as training materials or part of a lending library.
Beginning in 2018, the Foundation proudly distributed books and videos to community-based culinary arts training programs. Please see our Map of support for a listing of all the Community Kitchens served. Highlighting Jacques’ firm belief that learning culinary technique is an essential ingredient for success, the multimedia care packages included two technique-driven cookbooks, an accompanying educational DVD, Pépin’s autobiography and a copy of “The Art of the Craft”, an American Masters documentary film about Pépin.
In 2021, the JPF released a collaborative online culinary curriculum with Rouxbe Online Culinary Education. The pandemic made clear the need for online culinary training. The JPF responded by creating an online course with Rouxbe called “Jacques Pépin: A Legacy of Technique.” The collaboration has also made possible discounted fundamental course offerings for our Community Kitchen partners from Rouxbe.
We have created relationships with industry partners including OXO and Cuisinart. Each company has provided a steady stream of needed equipment to community kitchen partners in support of their culinary training programs.
Jacques and other JPF team members volunteer their time in community kitchens providing professional training to students. We also connect professional chefs who want to volunteer to community kitchens in their area.
Artist-quality prints of Jacques’ painting “Vivid Buffet” are now available for a donation benefiting the JPF. This year’s posters help celebrate the JPF’s 5th Anniversary, and feature Jacques’ distinctive abstract style. These museum-quality posters are made on thick and durable matte paper and available in two colors (ochre and blue).
The JPF was thrilled to be back in person for the 5th Anniversary Celebration at The Yale Club of New York City. Surrounded by long-time supporters and new JPF Members, the room was filled with warmth and joy in support of our mission to improve lives through culinary education.
On January 27, 2022, Jacques appeared as a guest on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” He made a French omelette with Jimmy and Questlove, demonstrating his signature technique, while highlighting his forthcoming book, The Art of the Chicken: A Master Chef’s Recipes and Stories of the Humble Bird.
Artist quality prints of Jacques' painting "Vivid Buffet" are now available for a donation benefiting the JPF. Click here to purchase.