Best Television Chef of all Time

Let me start of by saying that Jacques Pepin is the greatest television chef of all time.  Practically every chef that you see on TV nowadays is a fake!  They don't cook anything - all they're capable of doing is rough chopping a couple of vegetables, throwing some crap in a pan, sprinkling with salt and pepper, and then taking the lid off of a pan that was "cooked ahead" and calling that a dish.

Jacques Pepin is the real deal.  I don't remember when I first saw Jacques Pepin on TV - gosh it must have been circa (be forewarned, I tend to use the term "circa" a lot) 1997.  Jacques is the real deal without a doubt.  From his ability to peel an apple with just a paring knife, bone a chicken, make a beautiful garnish, make a fluffy omelet, to actually cooking a meal from start to finish without relying on something that was "made ahead."

I've seen many of Jacques television shows: The Complete Pepin, Jacques Pepin Cooking With Claudine, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, Jacques Pepin Celebrates, Jacques Pepin: Fast Food My Way, Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way.

I really feel like I've grown up with Jacques, so much so that I affectionately refer to Jacques Pepin as "my friend Jacques" as Anita can attest to.  I was very delighted to see Jacques as a guest judge on Top Chef season 5.

I've learned so much from watching Jacques Pepin.  Everything from the basic fundamentals to the more advanced like a bouche de noel I learned by watching Jacques Pepin.

So in honor of Jacques - "Happy Cooking!"