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(Jacques) Good morning!

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Good morning, everybody!

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(Audience) Good morning!

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Claudine and I are delighted 
to be with you this morning

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to be the first one.

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I left home when I was 13
to go to apprenticeship,

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that was in 1949.

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Actually, home was a restaurant
where my mother was the chef,

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I was already in that business.

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In fact, there was 12 restaurants
through the years in my family

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and 12 of them owned by women,

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I'm the first male to enter 
that business in my family.

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I went into apprenticeship from Lyon,
where my mother had her little restaurant

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to Bourg-en-Bresse, where 
I was born a few miles away.

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Prior to that, when we were 
about 8-9 years old,

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my mother had that little restaurant

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so, my brother and I, 
before going to school,

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walked with my mother to the market

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- the St. Antoine market
along the Saône river -

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and she would walk the market one way, 
about 1/2 a mile, and buy on her way back.

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Buying a case of mushrooms 
which were getting dark

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maybe for a third of the price or less.

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We carried, of course,
we didn't have a car at the time.

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She'd get home and start doing 
her vegetables, peeling for the day.

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She did not have 
a refrigerator at that time.

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She had an ice box, that is
a block of ice into a little cabinet,

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so she'd have chicken of the day, meat,

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fish, usually, whiting or mackerel 
or skate -inexpensive fish -

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and that she has to use it that day.

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And again, the day after, 
we start all over again.

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Everything was organic, 
everything was local.

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The word organic did not really exist --

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well, since chemical fertilizers 
did not exist either,

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or fungicides, insecticides, pesticides,
all that stuff did not exist,

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so everything was, you know, local and --

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(Claudine) Organic.
(Jacques) Organic, that's it.

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So, I went into apprenticeship, 
I was 13 years old and, at that time,

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it was very structured,
well, still is to certain extend,

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you got to be there on time,
you got to be clean,

40
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you have to be willing,

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it's discipline, it's structure,
that's the way a kitchen can work.

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We learn through a type of osmosis.

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The chef never really explained 
anything, he'd just say, "Do that".

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And if you say, "Why?", and he'd say, 
"Because I just told you".

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That was about the end
of the apprenticeship.

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Probably, just as good for
someone who's 13-14 years old.

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So, we worked, repeating, and repeating,
and repeating those techniques ad nauseam;

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we were not allowed
to go to the stove for a year.

49
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So, during that year,
I did pluck a lot of chicken,

50
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eviscerated a lot of chicken, 
scaled fish, chopped parsley,

51
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all of that type of things,
and then, the chef called me --

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My name was "you" at the time,

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then by the time I went to the stove,
they called me Jacques, so I got the name.

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So, he said, "You start tomorrow".

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"I start tomorrow?",
I didn't know how to do it;

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I went to the stove
and I knew how to do it.

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So there was that type of osmosis,
things that you show, that you mentor.

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I've got a book called, "La technique",
that I published in 1975,

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so it's 40-year old,

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and I don't cook
the way I did 40 years ago.

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But the way I did an egg white, 
or sharpen a knife,

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or bone out a chicken, 
to give you a sense;

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it is that kind of permanence,
that kind of continuity,

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that, you'll learn in the kitchen;

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to be first a craftsman.

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And it's very difficult, 
very often, to explain in words

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something that you can show --

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It's easier to show --

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than to explain

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in words.

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You can do that to chocolate as well.

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You'd do that at exactly 
the right temperature.

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And we used to

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put the butter in 
a little container, that on top,

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and now you can charge 20 bucks for it.

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(Laughter)

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Put that in water that's cold, 
so we could do whatever.

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(Applause)

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Thank you, Titine.

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For me, first you have to be a craftsman.

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You have to be a craftsman, and is
that repeat, and repeat, and repeat,

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that is very important.

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Just like

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you can spend a year, two years, 
in a studio in art school

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and learn the law of perspective,
it is perfectly fine,

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and you learn how to mix 
yellow and blue to make green,

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you know what to do with your sand, 
with your spatula, with the brush;

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then you can come out and 
do one painting after another.

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So, does that make you a chef? Not really.

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But you're by then, a good craftsman,
and that's very important.

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You have, first, to know your trade,

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whether you are

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a shoemaker, or a cabinet maker
- like my father -

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first, you know your trade.

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So, those things that we boned out

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I learned, as I said, as a child.

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And then, I learned this from --

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I don't remember where I learn that but --

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when you learn something 
you learn it a certain way

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and after a while, you don't remember 
where it comes from,

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and you do it your own way, eventually.

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To do a type of lollipop 
like that, as we used to --

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So, those techniques, as I said,
first make you a craftsman,

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and if you are a good craftsman,
then you can run a restaurant.

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There are about 20,000 restaurants in NY

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and 100 are well known, maybe 200, 
maybe 300, maybe 400 even,

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but what happen to the 19,500
is that they are run by artisans,

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people who know how to work properly,

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and this is the only way if you become,
in my opinion, a good craftsman,

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if you have that type of knowledge,
then you can express yourself.

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This is half of yourself,

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the other half has to do with talent.

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If you have talent --

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If you happen to have talent,

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by this I mean, if you have taste,

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if you have a bit of a vision,

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if you have a little bit of creativity,

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then you can express yourself,

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you now have the means in your hands
to express yourself,

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if you've gone through those techniques.

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You have to repeat 
those techniques, as I said,

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long enough so that,
you can afford to forget it after.

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Here we are, 
half of this, now the filet.

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(Claudine) If you have any questions
you should shout them out,

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it's a good opportunity.

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(Claudine) There's going to be a test.

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(Laughter)

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(Jacques) This way.

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There's my carcass.

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Now, the tip of the filet,
you remove it here.

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This one here --

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So, you free your hand
by learning those techniques

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and as I said, you can now

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think in term of texture,
in term of other things

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because, as I said, you free your hand
by repeating and repeating.

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Now, this is one part of yourself,

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half of yourself is there, 
it's the craftsman;

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the other part of yourself

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now depend on whether 
you have talent or not,

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and even if you have 
a little bit of talent, not too much,

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you can still run a little restaurant
by being a good technician.

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If you have a lot of talent,
then you can take it further.

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Not all the chefs are René Redzepi,

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or David Chang,

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or José Andrés --

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Here we are.

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(Applause and cheering)

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(Jacques) At that point 
you really don't want to cut the bone

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because the skin will shrink 
all over the place so, we break it.

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And you know, the interesting part
is that if you carve in the dining room,

151
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or if you do a quail 
or a pheasant or a goose,

152
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the morphology is the same.

153
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If you cut a chicken 
in pieces to do a skew,

154
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you cut exactly in the sample place,
at the shoulder joint, at the hip joint --

155
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Okay.

156
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Now, you have to be very proud 
of what you're doing

157
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but you also have to be humble
to a certain extend

158
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because there's always someone

159
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who can think with 
more creativity than you are,

160
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who can think harder than you do.

161
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We're all limited
by the extent of our taste

162
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and they are different,

163
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and sometimes, you have people,

164
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like a food critic, who doesn't 
really know how to cook

165
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but maybe who can
taste better than you do.

166
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We fail on that and sometimes
it's not easy to take,

167
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but that's the way it is.

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For me, a young chef should work
with a good chef, in a good place,

169
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and at that point your [aim] is 
to try to visualize what that chef does.

170
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If she or he works with you,
then you try to see --

171
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Yeah, that's where there are no bones --

172
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a little bit here --

173
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you try to see the food through
his or her sense of aesthetic,

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their sense of taste,

175
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and even if it doesn't coincide with you,

176
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most of the time it won't coincide

177
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with your sense of taste
or your sense of aesthetic,

178
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but it doesn't 
really matter at that point,

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you have to look at it through that,

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and you do it for a year or two,

181
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then you work with another chef
for a year or two,

182
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and again looking at things 
through a different point of view,

183
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different sense of aesthetic,

184
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and then maybe with a third one
a few more times --

185
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then, at some point,
you're going to give it back.

186
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You're going to give it back,

187
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and now you're going to filter it
through your sense of taste,

188
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through your sense of aesthetic,

189
00:12:13,938 --> 00:12:15,159
that's how it works

190
00:12:15,159 --> 00:12:18,677
because ultimately, at some point,
you cannot escape yourself,

191
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you are who you are, and that's the way
how you are going to do it.

192
00:12:21,952 --> 00:12:25,861
It's always a bit of a paradox for me

193
00:12:25,861 --> 00:12:28,680
because I work with young chefs
like at Boston University

194
00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:33,554
and everyone wants to do 
something special and different.

195
00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,921
I do a class which I call a perfect meal,

196
00:12:36,921 --> 00:12:41,003
which is a roast chicken,
a bol of potatoes and a salad.

197
00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:42,899
It used to be done this way:

198
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They all go to the stove
to do the same type of things

199
00:12:48,219 --> 00:12:54,778
and I say, "Don't try to blew my mind
because I know that I have 12 people here,

200
00:12:54,778 --> 00:12:56,982
I'm going to have 12 different chicken."

201
00:12:56,982 --> 00:12:58,380
Because that's the way it is,

202
00:12:58,380 --> 00:13:02,039
you don't really have to torture yourself 
to be different, you are different,

203
00:13:02,039 --> 00:13:04,870
there's no way that you can 
do exactly the same thing

204
00:13:04,870 --> 00:13:06,715
than the person next to you.

205
00:13:08,649 --> 00:13:11,275
This is a good beef stuffing 
- not really - but

206
00:13:12,589 --> 00:13:14,255
just to give you an idea.

207
00:13:22,149 --> 00:13:23,571
Okay, Titine --

208
00:13:26,988 --> 00:13:32,360
So, we have our galantine,
that is if we poach it,

209
00:13:32,688 --> 00:13:35,383
and our ballotine if we roast it.

210
00:13:35,529 --> 00:13:36,910
Thank you.

211
00:13:37,228 --> 00:13:38,931
So, we put it this way --

212
00:13:52,109 --> 00:13:53,908
(Claudine) No questions?

213
00:14:09,088 --> 00:14:10,600
(Jacques) Okay.

214
00:14:21,099 --> 00:14:22,459
(Jacques) Very quiet here.

215
00:14:22,459 --> 00:14:23,790
(Claudine) I know.

216
00:14:24,239 --> 00:14:25,987
(Claudine) Do you want some wine?

217
00:14:26,128 --> 00:14:29,497
(Jacques) Ah, my daughter knows me --

218
00:14:29,693 --> 00:14:31,648
(Laughter)

219
00:14:33,339 --> 00:14:35,294
(Jacques) Our galantine, so --

220
00:14:35,294 --> 00:14:41,068
(Applause)

221
00:14:44,970 --> 00:14:46,480
(Jacques) Up to that point --

222
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(Claudine) You have five minutes --

223
00:14:48,401 --> 00:14:50,078
(Jacques) Oh yeah, okay.

224
00:14:50,078 --> 00:14:54,229
The technique to do something
remain fairly constant,

225
00:15:01,158 --> 00:15:03,209
but at that point
this is what it'll change:

226
00:15:03,209 --> 00:15:06,329
when you're happy with the way 
you cook it, what you do with it,

227
00:15:06,329 --> 00:15:09,241
the seasoning and all of that 
become your own.

228
00:15:11,221 --> 00:15:12,129
Okay.

229
00:15:12,999 --> 00:15:15,878
(Eggs cracking)

230
00:15:18,071 --> 00:15:20,821
- (Jacques) Pepper, Titine?
- (Claudine) Yeah.

231
00:15:21,030 --> 00:15:22,994
(Jacques) That's your salt --

232
00:15:26,484 --> 00:15:28,118
(Pepper mill grinding)

233
00:15:28,667 --> 00:15:32,099
(Claudine) Everybody needs one of me 
in your kitchen, you all need me --

234
00:15:32,099 --> 00:15:34,311
(Laughter)

235
00:15:34,999 --> 00:15:37,857
(Jacques) Now I cook with
my granddaughter as well.

236
00:15:39,430 --> 00:15:40,885
(Claudine) She's twelve.

237
00:15:42,428 --> 00:15:43,783
(Jacques) Yes --

238
00:15:44,229 --> 00:15:49,250
when I did a television show 
with Claudine many years ago --

239
00:15:50,889 --> 00:15:53,231
(Jacques) Why did you 
give me two of those?

240
00:15:53,231 --> 00:15:56,009
(Claudine) I offered
whatever you want it --

241
00:15:56,009 --> 00:15:57,544
(Jacques) Okay, good.

242
00:15:58,358 --> 00:16:03,462
(Jacques) I learned how to make 
three different types of omelettes.

243
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,814
A flat omelette, called à la piperade

244
00:16:11,174 --> 00:16:13,128
or omelette basquaise and so forth --

245
00:16:13,248 --> 00:16:15,149
Western omelette, as it's called the US,

246
00:16:15,149 --> 00:16:17,599
and then, we did an omelette
that my mother would do

247
00:16:17,599 --> 00:16:20,480
with very large curd, brown --

248
00:16:24,550 --> 00:16:29,058
and then we did a more 
classic omelette - like this one -

249
00:16:30,967 --> 00:16:37,579
and for those we want to make 
very small curds, like scramble egg.

250
00:16:51,521 --> 00:16:54,760
Now, there are three different 
types of omelettes that I would do,

251
00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:58,138
one is not better than the other,
it's just different.

252
00:16:58,568 --> 00:17:00,998
A few weeks ago, 
I did that for a television

253
00:17:00,998 --> 00:17:04,291
who came to my house and wanted me
to do the three types of omelettes,

254
00:17:04,291 --> 00:17:05,709
which I did --

255
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:10,488
and then they realized they only have 
a minute and a half when they edited,

256
00:17:10,488 --> 00:17:13,499
so they just took some stuff 
from one omelette to the other,

257
00:17:13,499 --> 00:17:15,828
to the other, and mix 
the whole thing together --

258
00:17:15,828 --> 00:17:16,838
(Laughter)

259
00:17:16,838 --> 00:17:17,988
(Jacques) What a waste!

260
00:17:17,988 --> 00:17:20,183
So, here you bring it back here,

261
00:17:20,183 --> 00:17:22,706
so that you're now rolling 
really a carpet --

262
00:17:23,151 --> 00:17:25,309
so you're just bringing one lid --

263
00:17:26,770 --> 00:17:28,858
one lid here and a half moon --

264
00:17:29,619 --> 00:17:31,124
nice half moon --

265
00:17:31,749 --> 00:17:33,330
bring that here --

266
00:17:34,158 --> 00:17:36,676
bring the other lid on top --

267
00:17:36,929 --> 00:17:39,354
this is the time 
when you want to stuff it,

268
00:17:40,488 --> 00:17:41,781
change hands --

269
00:17:42,100 --> 00:17:43,780
and then that omelette should be --

270
00:17:45,839 --> 00:17:47,210
to the edge --

271
00:17:49,298 --> 00:17:50,433
Ooooh!

272
00:17:51,178 --> 00:17:52,556
The chef in my kitchen --

273
00:17:52,556 --> 00:17:55,829
(Applause)

274
00:18:01,150 --> 00:18:04,079
The chef in my kitchen 
would have seen the pleads on top

275
00:18:04,079 --> 00:18:08,209
and he would have done some reference
to the behind of his grandmother --

276
00:18:08,209 --> 00:18:10,541
(Laughter)

277
00:18:12,701 --> 00:18:16,938
As you see, it should be pale 
right on top, very creamy,

278
00:18:16,938 --> 00:18:19,828
very soft inside, like scramble eggs,

279
00:18:19,828 --> 00:18:23,216
and that's what a classic omelette is.

280
00:18:25,049 --> 00:18:26,170
Yes, Claudine?

281
00:18:26,170 --> 00:18:27,258
(Claudine) Yes, papa!

282
00:18:27,258 --> 00:18:28,834
(Jacques) Will you drink to that?

283
00:18:28,834 --> 00:18:29,811
(Claudine) I will!

284
00:18:29,811 --> 00:18:31,241
(Jacques) Thank you very much!

285
00:18:31,241 --> 00:18:33,949
(Applause and cheering!

286
00:18:39,958 --> 00:18:45,488
(Claudine) Whatever 
you take away from here, I hope --

287
00:18:45,718 --> 00:18:48,694
and it's so wonderful that 
you're taking the time to be here,

288
00:18:48,828 --> 00:18:52,873
I hope you share 
your knowledge with everyone

289
00:18:52,991 --> 00:18:55,850
because that's how the craft continues,

290
00:18:55,979 --> 00:18:58,689
that's how our trade continues,
that's how it gets better.

291
00:18:58,709 --> 00:19:03,582
(Jacques) Yeah, I realized quite well,
all of you know those techniques,

292
00:19:03,582 --> 00:19:09,468
some better than me... 
yet, I thank you for coming

293
00:19:09,468 --> 00:19:13,589
and listening to me, but for me
the permanence is there,

294
00:19:13,589 --> 00:19:19,208
to teach, to explain and to show
at least the basic structure,

295
00:19:19,208 --> 00:19:22,339
and at that point, when you have
that type of manual dexterity

296
00:19:22,339 --> 00:19:24,508
or technical knowledge,

297
00:19:24,508 --> 00:19:26,448
then you can run a kitchen quite well.

298
00:19:26,448 --> 00:19:29,390
As I said, if you happen to have talent,

299
00:19:29,390 --> 00:19:31,689
then you bring it to a another level

300
00:19:31,689 --> 00:19:37,609
and, like the person who works 
in a studio for a couple of years,

301
00:19:37,949 --> 00:19:40,652
after that, you know how 
to mix all your paintings,

302
00:19:40,652 --> 00:19:42,542
and know what you can do with a brush,

303
00:19:42,542 --> 00:19:45,088
you step outside you do 
one painting after another --

304
00:19:45,088 --> 00:19:47,149
Does that make you an artist?

305
00:19:47,149 --> 00:19:49,704
Not really, at that point 
you're a good craftsman.

306
00:19:49,799 --> 00:19:52,188
If, however, you have talent,

307
00:19:52,188 --> 00:19:54,999
now you have the means in your hands
to express that talent,

308
00:19:54,999 --> 00:19:56,783
to take it somewhere.

309
00:19:57,680 --> 00:19:59,909
As I said, you do have to 
transcend that level

310
00:19:59,909 --> 00:20:03,894
at which you have to concentrate
on the manual task that you're at.

311
00:20:03,926 --> 00:20:07,499
You see a beginner coming around
and you say: "Do you have any parsley?"

312
00:20:07,499 --> 00:20:10,400
and he says: "Don't disturb me,
someone is slicing something."

313
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,740
You have to transcend that level
so you don't have to think about it,

314
00:20:13,740 --> 00:20:17,259
things that are there, 
so you can think in terms of texture,

315
00:20:17,259 --> 00:20:20,312
combination of ingredients,
or things like these.

316
00:20:20,312 --> 00:20:21,497
Right, Titine?

317
00:20:21,497 --> 00:20:23,610
(Claudine) Right. 
Do you have any questions?

318
00:20:23,610 --> 00:20:26,228
(Jacques) I think I was there
at one and a half minute,

319
00:20:26,228 --> 00:20:28,018
now I'm back to seven minutes?

320
00:20:28,088 --> 00:20:29,828
(Laughter)

321
00:20:29,988 --> 00:20:31,628
(Claudine) Okay!

322
00:20:31,698 --> 00:20:32,735
(Jacques) Yes --

323
00:20:33,438 --> 00:20:35,533
Any questions?

324
00:20:37,841 --> 00:20:39,595
No questions? Yes, sir?

325
00:20:39,595 --> 00:20:41,198
(speaking from the audience)

326
00:20:41,198 --> 00:20:43,779
(Claudine) Oh, yeah.
(Jacques) Do I know that man here?

327
00:20:43,779 --> 00:20:47,359
(Claudine) I gave him 20 bucks before 
to say that. Thank you, Michelle!

328
00:20:47,479 --> 00:20:49,318
(Claudine blows a kiss)

329
00:20:49,429 --> 00:20:51,200
(Jacques) Thank you, Michelle... yes!

330
00:20:52,887 --> 00:20:56,459
I know that there are great, 
fantastic chefs here --

331
00:20:56,459 --> 00:21:00,012
we had an extraordinary, 
extraordinary meal at Noma,

332
00:21:00,012 --> 00:21:02,899
I'm gratified to be here,

333
00:21:02,899 --> 00:21:05,559
I know I'm the oldest of the group

334
00:21:05,559 --> 00:21:09,849
and now that I've passed 80 years old
I'm supposed to be wise.

335
00:21:09,849 --> 00:21:12,520
I don't think that I'm wiser
than when I was 30 years old

336
00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,101
but this is what happens when you get old.

337
00:21:16,159 --> 00:21:17,638
You think I'm wise, Claudine?

338
00:21:17,638 --> 00:21:19,589
(Claudine) Yes, yes, of course, you are!

339
00:21:19,589 --> 00:21:20,898
(Jacques) Ok, that's a good daughter.

340
00:21:20,898 --> 00:21:22,428
(Laughter)

341
00:21:22,428 --> 00:21:26,841
(Jacques) Now I'm doing a show
with my granddaughter, Shorey,

342
00:21:26,841 --> 00:21:29,228
which we called "Lesson of a grandfather".

343
00:21:29,228 --> 00:21:32,749
So, little things, 
even how to set up a table,

344
00:21:32,749 --> 00:21:35,969
eat properly at the table or --

345
00:21:35,969 --> 00:21:38,088
But no, not enjoying wine yet.

346
00:21:38,088 --> 00:21:41,368
(Claudine) No, no, no wine yet,
it's just to give us show, so --

347
00:21:41,368 --> 00:21:43,021
(Laughter)

348
00:21:43,021 --> 00:21:44,479
(Claudine) Yes, sir?

349
00:21:44,479 --> 00:21:47,108
(speaking from the audience)

350
00:21:52,498 --> 00:21:56,819
It's a very interesting question.
Do you want to repeat the question?

351
00:21:56,819 --> 00:21:59,588
(Claudine) The question is
how are the kitchens today

352
00:21:59,588 --> 00:22:03,426
different than the kitchens
that my father was an apprentice in.

353
00:22:04,409 --> 00:22:05,588
Pretty dramatic?

354
00:22:05,588 --> 00:22:08,563
(Jacques) Yes, well, no... but, yes!

355
00:22:08,563 --> 00:22:10,128
(Laughter)

356
00:22:10,128 --> 00:22:12,289
There is a permanence there,
the point is that

357
00:22:12,289 --> 00:22:14,189
you still have to come on time,

358
00:22:14,189 --> 00:22:16,289
you still have to be ready to work,

359
00:22:16,289 --> 00:22:20,139
you still work in a place which is 
very structured, very disciplined,

360
00:22:20,139 --> 00:22:21,359
like in the army,

361
00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:24,079
you don't say, "Yes, captain!",
but you say, "Yes, chef!",

362
00:22:24,079 --> 00:22:26,668
it's about the same thing
and you have to --

363
00:22:26,668 --> 00:22:29,570
you have to, so that 
the kitchen works properly.

364
00:22:29,570 --> 00:22:30,968
You're a member of a team,

365
00:22:30,968 --> 00:22:34,079
and if you're late or don't show up
to be part of that team,

366
00:22:34,079 --> 00:22:35,698
you're going to destroy the structure,

367
00:22:35,698 --> 00:22:37,708
so that remains the same.

368
00:22:37,708 --> 00:22:40,511
That being said, when I was a kid,

369
00:22:40,511 --> 00:22:44,181
we would never up there
to cut a tomato --

370
00:22:44,181 --> 00:22:45,739
we only cut it in one direction,

371
00:22:45,739 --> 00:22:49,449
we'd never alternate to the other side
when I worked at the Plaza and in Paris,

372
00:22:49,449 --> 00:22:50,749
or whatever in the fifties.

373
00:22:50,749 --> 00:22:53,027
Now, there's a much greater deal

374
00:22:53,027 --> 00:22:55,401
and innovation is part of yourself too.

375
00:22:55,401 --> 00:22:59,878
And, of course, we,
up to 20-30 years ago --

376
00:22:59,878 --> 00:23:05,568
I've been in the kitchen 65-67 years --

377
00:23:05,568 --> 00:23:08,300
the cook were at the bottom
of the social scale.

378
00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:12,828
Any good mother would have wanted
her child to marry a doctor, an architect,

379
00:23:14,998 --> 00:23:16,809
certainly not a cook.

380
00:23:16,809 --> 00:23:20,388
Now we are genius! I don't know 
exactly what happened but --

381
00:23:20,388 --> 00:23:23,101
this is great, this is terrific,
so it's quite different.

382
00:23:23,101 --> 00:23:25,859
- (Claudine) Papa, he has a question.
- (Jacques) Yes, sir.

383
00:23:30,099 --> 00:23:32,371
(René) I have a question for you.

384
00:23:32,371 --> 00:23:34,138
You said you're more than 80, right?

385
00:23:34,138 --> 00:23:36,018
(Jacques) Yes.

386
00:23:36,018 --> 00:23:38,129
(René) I'm 39.

387
00:23:41,543 --> 00:23:44,285
I think a lot of cooks 
that deal with this --

388
00:23:45,695 --> 00:23:48,379
what can I say, like, guilt, sometimes --

389
00:23:48,379 --> 00:23:51,572
they feel like they should be yearning
for something in the past,

390
00:23:51,572 --> 00:23:53,889
that in the past 
things were better, kind of --

391
00:23:55,279 --> 00:23:58,774
Can you please tell us

392
00:23:58,904 --> 00:24:00,899
how it used to be in the kitchen

393
00:24:00,899 --> 00:24:04,429
and whether you think 
the life in the kitchen is better today,

394
00:24:04,429 --> 00:24:08,319
and actually, do you think 
that food has become better

395
00:24:08,319 --> 00:24:10,401
- and is becoming better?
- (Jacques) Yes.

396
00:24:10,401 --> 00:24:13,211
(René) Or, was it better 
back in the old days?

397
00:24:14,115 --> 00:24:16,718
(Jacques) No, it is better,
there's a cycle also --

398
00:24:16,718 --> 00:24:19,872
certainly as I said, my mother used 
only organic products too

399
00:24:19,872 --> 00:24:22,408
but that's what we have,
we didn't have anything else,

400
00:24:22,408 --> 00:24:25,297
so we're going back to that,
which is a great thing, of course;

401
00:24:25,297 --> 00:24:27,388
to be in communion with the Earth

402
00:24:27,388 --> 00:24:29,259
and in communion to where you work,

403
00:24:29,259 --> 00:24:30,910
and be local, and so forth.

404
00:24:30,910 --> 00:24:32,501
Yes, absolutely.

405
00:24:32,951 --> 00:24:34,305
The cooks now still have

406
00:24:34,305 --> 00:24:36,229
the same structure
that we used to have

407
00:24:36,229 --> 00:24:40,630
but you have much more freedom
than we ever had before.

408
00:24:41,888 --> 00:24:45,340
Certainly, I got kicked in the rear end
a few times by my chefs,

409
00:24:45,340 --> 00:24:49,183
I mean it was the type of things
that it was supposed at that time --

410
00:24:49,183 --> 00:24:50,709
it was supposed to be difficult,

411
00:24:50,709 --> 00:24:53,181
you have to go to 
a rite of passage and all of that,

412
00:24:53,181 --> 00:24:54,770
which is not really necessary,

413
00:24:54,770 --> 00:24:56,892
you don't need to be yelled at --

414
00:25:00,302 --> 00:25:04,532
I've seen a lot of show on television,
certainly, reality show,

415
00:25:04,532 --> 00:25:09,279
and the kitchen is like mayhem and 
the chef is yelling all over the place.

416
00:25:09,279 --> 00:25:12,306
This is not conducive 
to good work, certainly.

417
00:25:12,539 --> 00:25:16,478
There's a great deal of love, a great deal
of yourself that you put in that food,

418
00:25:16,478 --> 00:25:20,739
and the yelling and other people too,
the lack of respect,

419
00:25:20,739 --> 00:25:25,032
those things are not conducive,
in my opinion, to learning well

420
00:25:25,032 --> 00:25:27,418
and teaching people how to cook.

421
00:25:27,418 --> 00:25:31,248
At a certain age, when I was 12-13,
the best way of learning

422
00:25:31,248 --> 00:25:34,859
was probably through 
that kind of osmotic way:

423
00:25:34,859 --> 00:25:37,619
you look, you repeat, 
you look, you repeat, and so forth.

424
00:25:37,619 --> 00:25:39,418
We passed that level now.

425
00:25:39,418 --> 00:25:42,998
Chefs come from cooking schools,

426
00:25:42,998 --> 00:25:46,250
they come out from college
to their older time,

427
00:25:46,250 --> 00:25:48,841
they want to know how to do it,
they want us to explain,

428
00:25:48,841 --> 00:25:51,989
so it's a different way of teaching
than what we're used to;

429
00:25:51,989 --> 00:25:55,389
and people are much more in a hurry
than how we were too;

430
00:25:55,389 --> 00:25:58,612
we had at least three other apprenticeship
without paid or anything,

431
00:25:58,612 --> 00:26:03,379
so, you know, there are six other
apprentices in front of you --

432
00:26:03,379 --> 00:26:04,797
so, this is much better now.

433
00:26:04,797 --> 00:26:08,779
A much greater respect for the chef,
for what we do for our tradition,

434
00:26:08,779 --> 00:26:10,819
and this is why, I mean, 
we're here today --

435
00:26:10,819 --> 00:26:13,669
- Yes?
- (Claudine) Wrap it up.

436
00:26:13,669 --> 00:26:15,928
(Jacques) Wrap it up. Yes, ma'm, okay.
But I still see one minute --

437
00:26:15,928 --> 00:26:18,900
- (Claudine) Trust me.
- (Laughter)

438
00:26:18,900 --> 00:26:21,791
(Jacques) I don't know whether 
that's the right answer to your question,

439
00:26:21,791 --> 00:26:26,020
or if it's specific enough but --

440
00:26:26,020 --> 00:26:27,669
(René) Can you just say in a yes or no?


441
00:26:27,669 --> 00:26:30,678
(Laughter)

442
00:26:30,678 --> 00:26:33,989
(Claudine) You'll be the first one
to ever get that answer, if it's possible.

443
00:26:33,989 --> 00:26:36,597
If you look back when you were 30

444
00:26:36,597 --> 00:26:40,448
and you look at kitchens 
and chefs and cooking now,

445
00:26:40,448 --> 00:26:42,220
do you believe that is better now?

446
00:26:42,220 --> 00:26:44,500
(Jacques) Oh yes, absolutely, 
no question at all --

447
00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:45,509
(René) Thank you!

448
00:26:45,509 --> 00:26:46,642
(Applause)

449
00:26:46,642 --> 00:26:53,949
(Jacques) No question at all.

450
00:26:53,949 --> 00:26:56,841
(Claudine) Thank you, of course,
to the MAD team for working there,

451
00:26:56,841 --> 00:27:01,010
took us all to the extend 
that I find extraordinary

452
00:27:01,010 --> 00:27:03,988
and rather inspiring so,

453
00:27:03,988 --> 00:27:05,698
I hope that everyone feels really good
about the work here,

454
00:27:05,698 --> 00:27:09,948
but, of course, thanks to all of you
for caring so much about what we do

455
00:27:09,948 --> 00:27:12,938
and about what you do 
and bringing it to the next level

456
00:27:12,938 --> 00:27:15,599
We hope you have a wonderful,
wonderful couple of days.

457
00:27:15,599 --> 00:27:16,799
- Thank you!
- (Jacques) We are!

458
00:27:16,799 --> 00:27:18,309
And drink a lot of wine!

459
00:27:18,309 --> 00:27:24,509
(Cheering and Applause)

460
00:27:24,852 --> 00:27:25,739
Thank you very much!

461
00:27:25,739 --> 00:27:26,819
(Cheering and Applause)

462
00:27:26,819 --> 00:27:29,569
My daughter, Claudine!

463
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:32,568
(Cheering and Applause)

464
00:27:32,998 --> 00:27:35,108
(Claudine) I'm going 
to bring this in the back for [inaudible]

465
00:27:35,108 --> 00:27:36,349
(Jacques) Okay, good.

466
00:27:38,818 --> 00:27:39,829
(Jacques) Hi Michelle!

467
00:27:43,098 --> 00:27:45,541
(Jacque) Jose is not here?
(René) He's here --

468
00:27:47,770 --> 00:27:51,448
(Jacques) Okay. Everything I know,
I learned from him, you know.

469
00:27:51,448 --> 00:27:53,548
(Laughter)