TV Chef Jacques Pepin Recovering From Minor Stroke

Jacques Pepin, the French chef who helped introduce generations of Americans to refined cuisine, is recovering after suffering a minor stroke.

Pepin, 79, was at his Connecticut home with friends Sunday evening when he began displaying symptoms of a stroke. He received prompt treatment and was released from the hospital Tuesday, his daughter, Claudine Pepin, told The Associated Press. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Pepin canceled an appearance this Friday at the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in Washington, D.C. He’d planned to attend a party in honor of his upcoming 80th birthday, but instead will make a statement via video conference. His daughter says Pepin otherwise is committed to returning to his normal schedule.

“Oh my god, he made soup this morning,” she said. “I will do my best to lighten the load, but he’s not of the mind to cancel anything. Honestly, he wanted to go to IACP. He’s like, ‘I’m talking. I can walk. Let’s go.'”

Pepin learned to cook as a child in France at his mother’s restaurants. He later served as the personal chef to French president Charles De Gaulle, then moved to the United States in 1959 for a job at New York’s Le Pavilion, the iconic French restaurant that introduced Americans to fine dining. Pepin later starred in numerous public television cooking series, including several on-air collaborations with Julia Child.

His final public television series — “Jacques Pepin: Heart & Soul — airs this fall, and will be accompanied by a new cookbook, “Jacques Pepin: Heart and Soul in the Kitchen.”