Jean-Claude Szurdak
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Jean-Claude Szurdak | |
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| Born | May 14, 1937[1] |
| Died | February 5, 2025 (aged 87)[2] |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Chef |
| Spouse(s) | Geneviève Szurdak[2] |
Jean-Claude Szurdak (May 14, 1937 - February 2, 2025) was a Franco-American chef, best known as the life-long collaborator of Jacques Pépin. In the 1950s he was the chef to several French heads of state including Charles de Gaulle and other state dignitaries.[2][3][4]
Early life
Jean-Claude fulfilled two apprenticeships: one in cooking and the other in pastry at a notable restaurant called L'Aubergade to the north of Paris.[4]
Career
Jean-Claude met Jacques Pépin in 1956 when he was hired as a chef at Hôtel Matignon, the French Prime Minister's official residence, after Jacques asked to enlarge the kitchen staff.[2] Jacques had this to say of their first meeting: "As [Jean-Claude] spun out the details of his training, I realized that the commander could not possibly have found a better partner for me in the kitchen."[4] Together they were chefs for Prime Minister Félix Gaillard and also M. Aicardi, Gaillard's cabinet director, a presidential advisor, and a gourmand who demanded intricate and expensive meals to be prepared. One meal for twenty-eight took several days and nights of preparation. Later they cooked for Pierre Pflimlin, and finally for Charles de Gaulle, coordinating closely with Madame de Gaulle aka Aunt Yvonne. Official occasions were known to include foreign heads of state such as Dwight Eisenhower, Josip Broz Tito, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Harold MacMillan.[4]
Afterward, he served in the French army on a General's staff in Oran, Algeria.[2][4] Szurdak moved to New York City in 1960.[5] There he owned three pastry shops and later operated a catering business named Jean-Claude Caterers for two decades.[2]
His characteristic deadpan delivery was the comedic foil to Pépin's exaggerated tongue-in-cheek jests:
"I did nothing but work for 20 years [...] It took my soul away."[2]
— Jean-Claude Szurdak
Later in life Jean-Claude was the back kitchen manager for Pépin's various TV series with KQED where he also made guest appearances to demonstrate various dishes and techniques with him.[6] He would also visit classes and appear in lectures at Boston University.[2] [7]
Jean-Claude was an avid skier, frequenting Aspen, Colorado and the Catskill Mountains.
Szurdak's signature dish was puff pastry shells filled with potato salad, topped with chives, caviar, and crumbled hard-boiled egg.[2]
Filmography
- Today's Gourmet (1991-1993) – Kitchen Staff, Guest Appearance as Self[8][9]
- Fast Food My Way (2004) - Kitchen Manager, Guest Appearances as Self[6][10][11]
- Essential Pépin (2011) - Kitchen Manager, Guest Appearances as Self[12][13]
- Heart & Soul (2015) - Kitchen Staff, Guest Appearances as Self[14]
- American Masters: Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft (2017) - Self [15]
References
- ↑ Pépin, Jacques (4 February 2025). "Jean-Claude Szurdak". Official Jacques Pépin Facebook Page. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Cowan, Dana (4 February 2025). "Jacques Pepin and Jean-Claude Szurdak's Buddy System". Food & Wine. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ Lang, Joel (8 May 2016). "At 80, master chef Jacques Pepin still has a lot on his plate". CT Post. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Pépin, Jacques (2004). "7". The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen (1st paperback ed.). New York: First Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-44411-4.
- ↑ Katz, Leslie (25 May 2017). "KQED doc a charming profile of food pioneer Jacques Pépin". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Heller, Susie (2004). "KQED. Jacques Pépin's Fast Food My Way: Behind the Scenes". Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ↑ Glusker, Anne (20 October 2015). "Jacques Pépin Donates a Hand-Painted Menu From His Last Supper With Julia Child". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ Pépin, Jacques (1995). Jacques Pépin's Table (1st ed.). San Francisco: KQED Books. p. xx. ISBN 0-912333-19-7.
- ↑ Template:Cite episode
- ↑ Pépin, Jacques (2004). Fast Food My Way (1st ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. p. 225-226. ISBN 0-618-39312-9.
- ↑ Template:Cite episode
- ↑ Pépin, Jacques (2011). Essential Pépin (1st ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. p. vii. ISBN 978-0-547-23279-9.
- ↑ Template:Cite episode
- ↑ Template:Cite episode
- ↑ Template:Cite episode
External links
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