Pépin was flanked by chefs Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, ICE CEO Rick Smilow, top chef Gail Simmons, her daughter Claudine, and other notable gala guests. Masu. | Photo credit: Pat Korb
Renowned French chef Jacques Pépin has educated millions of Americans through his television shows, cookbooks, live demos, and more. But what few home cooks know about his role as one of the founding deans of the French Culinary Institute (FCI) in New York City, where he trained many of today's top chefs and restaurateurs. is not known.
The achievement was celebrated on Monday night at a gala hosted by the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), the prestigious school that acquired FCI in 2020.
But in 1984, when Pépin, along with French chefs Alain Saiac, Andre Saltner and Jacques Torres, was asked by FCI founder Dorothy Kang Hamilton to become dean, he said, “We… It was just a group of good friends who liked to make people happy with their cooking. That's what made the French Culinary Institute work,” Pépin told the audience. Some of FCI's notable alumni include influential chefs and restaurateurs Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Bobby Flay, David Chang, Wylie Dufresne, and Lee Ann Wong. “None of them have opened a French restaurant,” Pépin joked. However, they all learned basic French techniques that are the foundation of professional cooking.
In 2006, when chef and restaurateur Cesare Casella joined as dean and integrated Italian cuisine into the curriculum, FCI changed its name to the International Culinary Center (ICC).
Rick Smilow, CEO of ICE, said that before FCI and ICE were founded, there were no schools in New York City that offered degrees for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs. This was a gaping hole, as New York City was and still is one of the dining capitals of the world. These two educational institutions changed the educational environment.
“During the pandemic, FCI/ICC was closed and we arranged mergers and acquisitions,” Smilow said. “As a result, a lot of good things have happened here at ICE. Our 16-17 staff have worked as chef instructors, registrars, curriculum developers and more, making ICE a better school. That’s something to celebrate. Yes.”
Among the guests celebrating Pépin and FCI's achievements were VIP chefs Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, Kelly Heffernan and Michel Nishan. ICE instructors and students prepared hors d'oeuvres, charcuterie, and desserts from around the world, and stations offered guests caviar samples and authentic Neapolitan pizza from Keste, one of New York City's finest pizzerias. .
In his speech, Pépin told the crowd the secret of his accomplishments. “If you drink a little wine, you can live a very long life. In 10 years you will be 99 years old.”
To learn more about Jacques Pépin's exploits, listen to this week's Restaurant Rewind podcast with RB Editor-in-Chief Peter Romeo.
Our members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and enjoy exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all content. Sign up here.
