Episode 106: Jean-Louis Palladin and the Young Americans, with special guest Jacques Pépin

Jean-Louis Palladin, who came to the United States from France in 1979, was one of the most talented and influential chefs of his generation. From his base in Washington, DC, Palladin, who died much too young in 2001 at age 55, helped forge a network of farmers and purveyors along the Eastern Seaboard, brought an unparalleled artistry and innate gift for improvisation to his cooking, wrote one of the first "coffee table" chef cookbooks, and left his mark on a generation of young Americans, inspiring such then-aspiring chefs as Anthony Bourdain and Thomas Keller.During a recent tribute dinner at the Watergate Hotel, Andrew sat down with a number of chefs who knew Palladin well: His contemporary and fellow immigrant French chef Jacques Pépin, three chefs who supported him at Jean-Louis at the Watergate--Larbi Dahrouch, Jimmy Sneed, and Jamie Stachowski--and chef of the Watergate's current showcase restaurant Kingbird, Sébastien Giannini.All of that, plus a bonus conversation with Jacques Pépin about how his hobby of  painting parallels his life in the kitchen.***EPISODE GUIDE***0:00 - 7:15 - Intro7:15 - 27:07 Segment 127:08 - 30:42 Mid-Show Break/Housekeeping Notes30:43 - end Segment 2***LINKS***Andrew Talks to Chefs official siteJean-Louis Palladin NY Times obituaryJean-Louis Palladin's book Cooking with the SeasonsJimmy Sneed's blog Product, Passion and SaltKingbird Restaurant at the Watergate THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!