Why Jacques Pépin Stores His Beer Next to Truffles in the Fridge

You might assume that Jacques Pépin is strictly a wine guy — he’s a French-born chef, after all. But while the legendary cookbook author, television personality, and former personal chef to French President Charles de Gaulle is an avid wine connoisseur, it turns out his drink of choice is often a crisp beer. (Well, in addition to the gin-soaked raisins he enjoys every night, although I’m not sure if that counts as a beverage, snack, or dietary supplement.)

In an updated, re-published episode of The Sporkful — the James Beard Award-winning podcast from host and pasta expert Dan Pashman — which originally aired in November of 2015, Jacques Pépin and Pashman chatted about everything from how the chef serves and stores his beer to what his childhood in France was like.

When Pépin arrived on-set Pashman already had a beer at the ready, noting that he heard the chef enjoys the relatable beverage. The 88-year-old chef then immediately pours his beer into… a paper cup, surprising Pashman, who follows suit. Pépin explains that he always prefers to drink his brews from a glass, and it seems to not matter if that glass is made of paper. 

From pouring beer into paper cups to where he stores it at home, it appears Pépin is the king of high-low combinations, which we’re big fans of here at Food & Wine. He confirms for Pashman that the rumors are true; he keeps his beer next to truffles in the fridge. The reason? According to the Pépin, it’s because, just like every other host, he wants to impress his guests, too: “if people ask you, ‘Do you have a beer?’ you say, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s next to the truffle in the refrigerator.’” (Although I doubt most people have truffles in the fridge —I certainly don’t.)

And unlike the rest of us, who likely use a bottle opener to pop off the lid, Pépin says he usually prefers to simply open his beer with a knife or a fork. That’s probably not the safest option, but he's the expert, so we trust only him to do it. 

In spite of how silly this anecdote seems, the cookbook author’s equal love for highbrow and lowbrow items stems from how he was raised. While growing up in France during World War II, food was scarce, so the Pépin family didn’t waste anything.

Making use of whatever was available was part of the chef’s life from a young age, and that still holds true today. Pépin notes that he hates it when he’s consulting for a restaurant and goes into its kitchen only to find perfectly good bread or vegetables in the garbage can. In fact, he says he’s always immediately drawn to the garbage can in a restaurant.

Pépin is so passionate about avoiding waste in the kitchen — and making great food without spending too much money — that he’s written multiple books on the topic. His most recent cookbook, Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes & Techniques for Economical Cooking (2023), has over 150 recipes for affordable and efficient meals. It teaches readers everything from how to prepare inexpensive cuts of meat to the easiest ways to repurpose leftovers.

Whether you’re looking for a guide to cooking without waste, want someone to sip a cold beer with, or would like to know how to make a proper French omelet, Pépin is probably your guy.

And don’t worry; if you want to share a bottle of wine, he’d probably be down for that too — the chef mentioned to Pashman that in the spring of 2015, that he bought 70 cases of wine.