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Jacques Pepin is very unassuming. This comes through in his recipes and his autobiography "The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen." For anyone interested in cooking and learning more about those creative souls who bring new ideas to the 'family' kitchen, this is a great -- and very lite -- read. Jacques Pepin may very well represent a unique combination: a 'celebrity chef' who is above all well trained and truly dedicated to food ingredients in their most essential form: as elements of a creative process which at it's most essential is also most satisfying. Pepin's account of his life's journey combines bemusement -- in regard to his success -- and a certain amount of marvel at his naivete in regard to what it takes to be successful -- from when he left home, to when he journeyed to America, to his first (unsuccessful) forays into television. At the end of it all, you can't help both laughing and liking the guy. Unlike the recently published biography of Julia Child, "The Apprentice" is a warm and satisfying read... kind of like a good cup of hot chocolate.....

This book was really pleasant to read. I could almost hear Mr. Pepin's voice as I read it. It is a fascinating look into his life from young childhood to the present. Also a fascinating look at restaurants, training, apprenticeships, and cooking. If you have enjoyed Pepin's books, or TV shows (my favorite was the PBS series with Julia Child and Pepin) you will enjoy this book.

The skills that make an awesome chef are the same skills that make an awesome writer, patience, a loving devotion to detail, an appreciation of the sensual - this has it all. It's a great slice of history and does what a great memoir is supposed to do - it allows you to enter the world of another.

Jacques Pepin's book, "The Apprentice : My Life in the Kitchen", is a light and compelling, can't put it down read.