My Dinner with Jacques
Monday night at Saison restaurant in San Francisco, I had dinner with Jacques Pepin.
OK, that would be me and 17 other people.
Still, it’s always an honor to be in the presence of such a formidable culinary figure, whose talent remains genuine and relevant even more so in this age of instant celebritism.
The occasion? A celebration of the French Culinary Institute’s new International Culinary Center of California in Campbell.
The New York-based culinary school has graduated the likes of Bobby Flay, Dan Barber, David Chang and Wylie Dufresne. It has been eager to establish a West Coast presence for a decade, and jumped at the chance when the former, five-year-old Professional Culinary Institute went up for sale this year, according to Brooke Schwartz, president of the new Campbell school.
Pepin, dean of special programs for the French Culinary Institute, was in town for the dinner soiree, along with other colleagues, including Dorothy Cann Hamilton, the founder of the institute.
A dozen food writers from around the Bay Area were invited, along with newest FCI deans, Chef David Kinch of Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos and Emily Luchetti, executive pastry chef of Waterbar and Farallon, both in San Francisco.
The Campbell school, which used to draw mainly from the local area, is now attracting students nationwide, Schwartz says. The school offers three core programs: Classic Culinary Arts, Classic Pastry Arts, and Intensive Sommelier Training (the first program in the world to be approved by the Court of Master Sommeliers). With Kinch’s involvement, culinary students will get a chance to visit Love Apple Farm in Santa Cruz, which grows exclusively for Manresa. And with Luchetti’s involvement, pastry students will get a chance to visit her restaurants for dessert tastings and kitchen tours. Additionally, the school offers a range of culinary, baking and wine classes for homecooks.
Saison’s Executive Chef Josh Skenes, an FCI grad, created the dinner. Saison’s Sommelier Mark Bright joked that the wine pairings were all French purely by accident, even if that seemed entirely appropriate to the occasion.
Skenes and Bright hope to move Saison to the Financial District in the near future — not because they want a larger space, but one more suitable for the ethereal, elegant fare the restaurant now turns out. It’s amazing to see how this former once-a-week, pop-up restaurant, housed in a quirky property in the Mission, has evolved since it opened two years ago.
Dinner started with caviar accompanied by a tiny dollop of creme fraiche and sea urchin.
That was followed by a giant spot prawn, the body of which was left raw, sashimi-style while the head had been roasted till crisp in the embers of the restaurant’s showpiece outdoor hearth.
Next, toasted grains hidden beneath a profusion of delicate mustard leaves that also had been cooked in the embers till potato chip-crisp. An intense bonito bouillon was poured over it all, tableside.
Then, a nugget of raw lobster rolled in cabbage to resemble a tiny maki roll, Dungeness crab, uni, and Meyer lemon cream — all afloat in a broth heady with rich shellfish flavor.
The final savory course was moist, tender rabbit with foie gras and English peas.
A parfait of preserved lemon sorbet and lemon gelee was tangy and refreshing, with the beautiful touch of vivid yellow chrysanthemum leaves strewn over the top.
The finale was all whimsy — smooth, creamy, popcorn ice cream that had been made with roasted corn. It rightly put movie-theater popcorn to shame.
But who cares what I thought of the meal. It’s Pepin’s verdict that really counts, right?
At the end of the meal, Pepin stood up to shake Skenes’ hand on a job well done.
“He lets the quality of the product show itself,” Pepin says. “The dishes are different than what I would — or could — cook. There is taste and vibrancy. I admire what he does.”
More: A First Visit to Saison
And: A Return Visit to Saison In Its Newest Incarnation
A very refreshing meal! So refined and elegantly plated.
Cheers,
Rosa
Lucky you to get invited to such a fantastic event! The food looks amazing. I still haven’t been to Saison. And I adore Jacques Pepin (who doesn’t?)
How cool!! Dinner with Jacques Peepin what a wonderful evening with great people and amazing food! thank you for sharing the evening with us!
sweetlife
The chrysanthemum leaves are such a nice touch, as was the raw/fried spot prawn. Great presentation.
what an amazing opportunity!
You have the best job!
Oooh, what formidable dining partners. Must have been fun eavesdropping on that dinner conversation! And how amazing that this new culinary school is opening up in the Bay Area!? I feel like it’ll just add to the food destination reputation of the area as graduates start opening up restaurants here.
Sounds like a great evening! Everything looks amazing!
looks like such a fun time!
I want him to be my grandpa. Seriously. Props to my hometown of Campbell for the new FCI hub. Fantastic!
Dinner with Jacques Peepin! wow! I still watch him on PBS channel.
He actually makes cooking look easy. The regular parchment cooking that I often do is kinda inspired by one of the episodes in which he did salmon en papillote 
Well, that en papillote was certainly not the first I have seen and he is also not the only one that does that – but it just did it for me.
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The meal looks amazing, lots of courses but looks like light choices. Jacques Pepin was the first cooking show I can ever remember watching, I got hooked on it.
What an honour to meet him!
And spot prawns, how absolutely delectable. I really enjoyed the one I had, served sashimi style too! 
I’m fairly certain that if I were in the presence of Jacques Pepin, I would just sit, stare, and drool. What an awesome experience!
Oh wow, what an amazing night and what a meal! It must have been really incredible to meet Jacques!
And I love the sound of that popcorn ice cream — what a unique idea!
An amazing night for Saison and the immensely creative chef, Joshua Skenes. Having Jacques Pepin gush over his culinary genius was, no doubt,quite an honor. Of course the meal was beyond expectation!
Jacques Pepin strikes me as being so charming and friendly. Must have been lovely to dine with him! And, what an amazing meal. The lobster, crab, and uni dish sounds fantastic.