Two of my favorite all-time cookbooks are from culinary legend Jacques Pépin: Sweet Simplicity and Jacques Pépin's Complete Techniques. The latter has improved my cooking skills immeasurably. I am also a fan of the chef's various television programs, where he demonstrates techniques in a manner that inspires confidence that I can, indeed, debone a chicken.

Jacques Pepin cookbooks

Because I have learned so much from him, I was delighted to learn that Chef Pépin will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Daytime Emmys. Making it even more special is the fact that Pépin will be the first culinary professional to receive this award. He can add this to his trophy collection that includes an Emmy that he won for Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home and several James Beard Foundation Awards. 

"Daytime television has been forever changed by the culinary efforts of Jacques Pepin," said David Michaels, senior vice president of the Daytime Emmy Awards. "Pepin's body of work helped inspire not just millions of cooks at home, but also the myriad staples of culinary television we now see."  Congratulations to Chef Pépin on this well-deserved honor.