Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pépin’s Life Advice for Young Cooks

Make sure that you go into cooking for the right reasons. People call me for advice about their kids who want to go into cooking, and I always tell them, "You know, the kid should work in a restaurant as a dishwasher, waiter, cook, whatever, to get the taste and essence of that thing that may seem glorious from the outside," but after they've been in there for a couple of months, they can realize whether it's the love of their life or something that they don't want to do at all. If you do it because it gratifies you, it makes you happy to cook for people, and it fills up your life, then go ahead with it. And you may become famous, but it may not happen, which is more likely. So it's in that case when you've done it for the right reasons that you'll have a good life. But if you're getting into the business to become famous or whatever, it's not the right reason because it probably won't happen.