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Slow Books: Discussion of Jacques Pepin’s “The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen”
October 9, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
Free
Join us for wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a Slow Book discussion of The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen
Valerie Pallatroni’s home, Healdsburg (address will be sent upon registration)
Please bring an hors d’oeuvre and beverage to share.
There is no charge for this event, but space is limited. Please RSVP to slowfoodsonomacountynorth@
What Is Slow Books?
Slow Books is a series of discussions of food-related books written from a variety of perspectives–chef, critic, consumer, producer. Meetings are held every 6 weeks and are open to everyone with an interest in the current book. Books are chosen by the group. Hosting and discussion leader will change for each meeting.
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin
In this captivating memoir, the man whom Julia Child has called “the best chef in America” tells the story of his rise from a frightened apprentice in an exacting Old World kitchen to an Emmy Award–winning superstar who taught millions of Americans how to cook and shaped the nation’s tastes in the bargain.
We see young Jacques as a homesick six-year-old boy in war-ravaged France, working on a farm in exchange for food, dodging bombs, and bearing witness as German soldiers capture his father, a fighter in the Resistance. Soon Jacques is caught up in the hurly-burly action of his mother’s café, where he proves a natural. He endures a literal trial by fire and works his way up the ladder in the feudal system of France’s most famous restaurant, finally becoming Charles de Gaulle’s personal chef, watching the world being refashioned from the other side of the kitchen door.
When he comes to America, Jacques immediately falls in with a small group of as-yet-unknown food lovers, including Craig Claiborne, James Beard, and Julia Child, whose adventures redefine American food.
“The Apprentice” is the poignant and sometimes funny tale of a boy’s coming of age. Beyond that, it is the story of America’s culinary awakening and the transformation of food from an afterthought to a national preoccupation.