Jean-Pierre Bréhier (born 1952) is a French

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

, television personality, cookbook

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

. As of September 23, 2024, his YouTube channel Chef Jean-Pierre has over 2 million subscribers and 180 million views. His cooking tips have been cited alongside other

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

Personal life

Born in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

in the south of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Bréhier was the youngest of five children in a family where culinary arts were highly valued. His mother, Yolande, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, was a significant influence on his early culinary development. Bréhier moved to the United States at the age of 21.

Career

At age 12, he started working at a local butcher shop, where he learned

charcuterie Charcuterie (, , also , ; ; from , and ) is a branch of French cuisine devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, Terrine (food), terrines, ''galantines'', ''ballotines'', ''pâtés'', and ''confit'', primarily from pork. Ch ...

. Choosing to pursue a career in

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between Human food, food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well ver ...

, he undertook a formal apprenticeship at L'Ousteau de Baumaniere, a three-star Michelin restaurant in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

. His apprenticeship continued on the

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

, where he gained experience at L'Oasis in La Napoule, Le Vendome in Aix-en-Provence, and the

Carlton Cannes Hotel The Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel is a historic 332 room luxury hotel opened in 1911, located at 58 La Croisette in Cannes on the French Riviera in France. It is famous for hosting movie stars from around the world during the annual Cannes Fi ...

Restaurateur

In 1976, Bréhier opened his own restaurant, The Left Bank Restaurant. The Left Bank was known for its innovative cuisine, impeccable service, and Chef Jean-Pierre's personal touch. For 22 years, it was considered one of America's finest dining establishments by ''

Bon Appetit Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...

'', ''

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'', ''

Gourmet Magazine ''Gourmet'' magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast Publications, Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. The New York Times noted that "''Gourmet'' was to food what ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' is to fashion." ...

'', and ''Travel & Leisure''. He sold the restaurant in 1997. ''Gourmet Magazine'' named The Left Bank one of the best in South Florida, and its No. 1 selection in Fort Lauderdale. ''Condé Nast'' magazine voted it one of the 100 best restaurants in America.

Television and radio

In 1994, Bréhier launched his first national television series, ''Sunshine Cuisine'', which aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. This series, comprising 80 episodes, was broadcast on 280 PBS stations across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The same year, he published his first cookbook, ''Sunshine Cuisine'', mirroring the themes of his television show. The James Beard Foundation nominated ''Sunshine Cuisine'' for Best Culinary Video for his contributions to the culinary arts. In 1994, Bréhier also hosted his own Saturday morning radio talk show on WFTL 1400 AM. In 1998, Bréhier returned to PBS with his second television series, ''Incredible Cuisine'', which featured 26 episodes broadcast on 250 PBS stations nationwide. He collaborated with

Time Life Time Life, Inc. (also habitually represented with a hyphen as Time-Life, Inc., even by the company itself) was an American multi-media conglomerate company formerly known as a prolific production/publishing company and direct marketeer seller ...

to publish his second cookbook, also titled ''Incredible Cuisine.'' In January 2006, Bréhier released his third cookbook, ''Cooking 101'', an interactive book featuring recipes inspired by the popular courses offered at his culinary school. Bréhier's television appearances extended to being a frequent guest chef on the

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

, where he appeared 25 times, as well as on

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...

, '' Crook & Chase'', Lifetime, and ''

The Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both speci ...

''. Between 2004 and 2012, he had two

public television Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

interstitial series distributed to all 350 public television stations through Fast Focus Media, LLC called ''The 90 Second Gourmet'' and ''Gourmet Minutes''.

Cookbooks

Bréhier has authored three cookbooks. His first two books, ''Sunshine Cuisine'' (1994) and ''Incredible Cuisine'' (January 1997), are directly tied to his television series of the same names. These publications showcase his signature recipes and delve into his culinary philosophies and techniques. ''Incredible Cuisine'' was

's best selling cookbook for two years. In 2006, Chef Jean-Pierre released his third cookbook, ''Cooking 101''. This interactive book compiles recipes from some of the popular courses taught at his school, Chef Jean-Pierre's Cooking School. The book won a Platinum Aurora Award for his ability to simplify and elucidate complex culinary concepts for aspiring chefs and home cooks alike.

Culinary school

Chef Jean-Pierre's Cooking School, established in 1996, has taught over 17,000 students. His cooking school partnered with Holland American cruises as an excursion experience. Offering practical and demonstration classes, the school catered to both gourmet cooks looking to refine their techniques and beginners taking their first steps in the culinary world. Most classes were personally taught by Chef Jean-Pierre, emphasizing an informal, fun, and educational approach to cooking.

YouTube

Chef Jean-Pierre uploaded his first YouTube video on November 1, 2006, primarily for his friends and students. However, in 2020, he officially launched his YouTube channel, ''Chef Jean-Pierre Cooking School''. As of July 1, 2024, his channel exceeded 1.88 million subscribers with over 399 videos, and over 193.9 million views. His YouTube channel features recipe tutorials and cooking tips, techniques, and advice. His YouTube has received positive reviews for being accessible, child friendly, and including full instructions for all his recipes. On Oct 2, 2024 his YouTube channel featuring 2.1M subscribers was hacked and had all videos removed. For a short period of time a Live Broadcast was present on the portal featuring an in-loop AI manipulated Elon Musk talking about Crypto Currencies. At the same time Chef Jean Pierre’s website had a disclaimer that for certain technical reasons the videos were not available and they were working to restore the videos and inviting visitors to use the written recipes instead.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean-Pierre, Chef Living people French chefs 1952 births