Pepin delighted in sharing the stage with his daughter Claudine, who is also a chef, and Claudine's 8-year-old daughter Shorey.
Updates a story posted Monday at 2:41 p.m.
NORTHAMPTON — As legend has it, Jacques Pepin once told an interviewer that his perfect final meal would be roast squab and fresh peas. Coming from a celebrity chef known for his emphasis on elegance and simplicity, it seemed the perfect answer.
During a whirlwind day in Northampton on Monday that served as a fundraiser for public television station WGBY, Pepin confessed it was merely his final try at answering a mind-boggling question.
“I said I would need a very, very, very, very long meal, to start with,” he said as he sat down to autograph his 27th and latest cookbook, “Essential Pepin,” at The Hotel Northampton. “Then I said the greatest bread and butter are hard to beat.”
Before settling on the squab and peas, Pepin said he’d like a little of everything. A little of everything is what he gave his adoring fans in a marathon 12-hour day that started with a special farmers market behind Thornes Marketplace and ended with a $175-a-ticket gala at the hotel.
Pepin, who along with his friend Julia Child helped bring French cooking to America, drew a hundred people at an afternoon talk behind Thornes and hundred more for the gala. Proceeds from “The French Connection II” benefit WGBY, which has been trying to get Pepin for several years.
Chef to three French presidents, including Charles De Gaulle, the 76-year-old Pepin emigrated to the U.S. in 1959 and became a media star through his appearances on shows such as “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” with the late Child. He has written a food column for The New York Times, teaches an online course at Boston University and advocates the use of fresh, local food.
Although the name Pepin is synonymous with the educated palate, the chef also provided his fans food for the soul. Ami-Jo Curtis of Granby, who was among the crowd at Thornes, rated Pepin “right up on top” of her list of favorite chefs.
“I love him and Julia Child both,” she said.
Dorothy Dean hung on Pepi’s every word as she listened to him answer questions from an interviewer. Although she enjoys watching him on TV, Dean said she has not tried to follow any of Pepin’s written recipes.
“I look at him and try to remember,” she said.
Liz Greene, who like Dean is from Northampton, parked a fresh copy of “Essential Pepin” in the seat next to her and devoured Pepin’s appearance.
“He’s the source of a cuisine that’s divine and close to the earth at the same time,” Greene said. “He’s a pillar of fine food and accessible food.”
Pepin told the crowd he prefers to cook on instinct with whatever is available at the market and wrestles with pinning down recipes. Pepin’s mother, now 97, ran a restaurant in his native France and he cannot recall a time he wasn’t drawn to the kitchen.
The guests at the Hotel Northampton gala came from throughout the area for a close-up view of Pepin. Peter and Morgan Grasso of Bernardston called him an excellent teacher as well as an excellent chef. Morgan Grasso said her favorite Pepin recipe is a simple-sounding casserole of squash and tomatoes.
Mary Ellen Scott of Wilbraham, whose husband Roy served as the Master of Ceremonies at the hotel, owns 15 of the chef’s cookbooks.
“We love to eat,” she said.
Chefs from a dozen local restaurants took a crack at recipes from “Essential Pepin” at the gala, serving up everything from Catalan-style octopus to “My Mother’s Chicken Ragout.” Jake Perkins, head chef at Eastside Grill, cooked up Cornish game hen with peaches and basil and a side of Yukon gold potatoes.
Taking questions from the audience, Pepin reminisced about his friend Child, who would have turned 100 this year. Although they sometimes argued, the two had lots of fun on their television show, he said.
Pepin delighted in sharing the stage with his daughter Claudine, who is also a chef, and Claudine’s 8-year-old daughter Shorey. Relaying a question from the audience, he asked his granddaughter if she wanted to be a chef too.
“A pastry chef,” said the chocolate lover.