Mythologies are built up and around famous chefs, layer upon layer, with the same amount of labor it takes to make daily batches of buttery croissant dough. The biographies of Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and Alice Waters are all informed by a series of apocryphal stories drawn from their own anecdotes or those recited by their acquaintances, coworkers and loved ones. In addition to their cookbooks and public appearances, an on-screen presence is key to establishing a chef’s identity in viewers’ imaginations.

Jacques Pépin’s affable TV persona, once it was honed, is approachable but not informal, always irreproachably professional. His rapport with the camera is at once congenial and direct, which is to say he takes a no-nonsense approach to a career that has inspired thousands of cooks

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