12/07/2020
It is with deep sorrow that we share the passing of Gloria Evelyn Augier Pépin (June 19, 1937 – December 5, 2020), wife and lifeforce of author, television personality, and culinary instructor Jacques Pépin. She passed peacefully in her own bed in Madison, CT with Jacques, her daughter Claudine, her son-in-law Rollie, her granddaughter Shorey, close friends Tom Hopkins and Reza Yavari, and her beloved pup Gaston, by her side.
We are overcome with grief, but Gloria was a fighter: a strong, resilient, “spill-no-tears” woman. She would no doubt urge us to get on with living our lives and continue to do the work we were meant to do.
In lieu of flowers, Gloria wished condolence gifts should be made to the food insecurity or animal welfare charity of your choice.
Gloria is survived by her devoted husband of 54 years, Jacques, her daughter Claudine, granddaughter Shorey.
Born in New York City, Gloria’s mother was from Puerto Rico and her father was born in Cuba. For much of her early life Gloria lived in Redbank, NJ. As a junior in high school, she took a trip to Cuba with some friends, and ended up fighting in Castro’s war. In her twenties, Gloria enjoyed a life of excitement running a studio in the music industry.
The story of Gloria and Jacques’ meeting is quite infamous. He was a ski instructor at Hunter Mountain in NY. In spite of being an excellent skier on the ski patrol, Gloria signed up for ski lessons to spend time with the handsome Frenchman. She recalled, “He was so cute, I thought he was probably gay.”
Jacques and Gloria were married in 1966 and loved each other for an admirable 54 years. In all that time, they made sure to sit at the table every night for dinner, enjoying their meal and a glass of wine, intentionally reaffirming their marriage and their love. With Sinatra or Aznavour singing, they would sometimes spontaneously dance after dinner (as long as Jeopardy! was over).
They were married at the home of Craig Claiborne, long-time food editor and restaurant critic for The New York Times, on Long Island, NY. Jacques, Pierre Franey of Le Pavillon, and several other chefs cooked the guests’ dinner. Howard Johnson, among many other notables, was in attendance.
Gloria was a very good cook in her own right. Her Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage had some influence on her husband’s cooking in dishes like chicken and rice and black bean soup. She was a formidable Pétanques competitor and created a Pétanques league in CT that for years brought together 40 or more friends every sunny Sunday to play.
She might have loved dogs more than she loved most people. There were always dogs in her life, including strays that she brought home. Yet she also loved her family and friends with unequivocal abandon.
Gloria was stately, dignified and classically elegant. On the arm of Jacques, she attended countless black tie and awards celebrations. Her humor was dry and straightforward. She was bold and unapologetic, and never embarrassed. According to Gloria, there is always a ‘right’ way to do something. It was invariably, also, perfectly aligned with Gloria’s way. As Jacques has said frequently, “We always do things my way when we agree. But when we disagree, we do things her way.”
Every chef, and especially Jacques, will tell you, it impossible to be successful without the support of your spouse. In their early years together, they lived in New York City and at an artist’s retreat on Hunter Mountain, where their life was a communal celebration with friends, of food and wine and joie de vivre. Claudine was born in 1967, while Jacques cooked, went to school, and wrote. They opened La Potagerie a small soup restaurant on 5th Avenue, between 45th and 46th street, in New York City, in 1970. Through it all, Gloria was his partner, his strength, his rock.
In 1974, they were tested by Jacques’ debilitating car accident. Gloria showed her immense strength and resilience when, with limited resources, she nursed Jacques back to health.
In 1976, they purchased a dilapidated home on four acres in Madison, CT and worked together to completely renovate the property themselves. Later they opened Gloria’s French Café in Madison. At the café nothing was ever wasted. This was an ethos that Gloria and Jacques shared. She managed the front of the house with impeccable taste. Like everything in Gloria’s life, the restaurant was extraordinarily well-organized.
Gloria and Jacques’ homes, whether in Madison or Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where they kept an apartment for many years, were always impeccable and full of color and light. Walls were adorned with paintings and artwork, and shelves were filled with books. Music played with flowers everywhere, especially Gloria’s favorite, orchids, which she teased into flowering year after year. That iconic pot wall in so many photos behind Jacques? Gloria ensured that the bottoms of those pots were always as spotlessly clean as the interiors.
After decades of camera crews parading through the house, in 2005, Jacques and Gloria converted their guest house into a studio kitchen. Since then, only their dear friend, photographer, and videographer Tom Hopkins has been allowed to shoot in the main house.
For many years, though they lived on a tight budget, Gloria always had an appreciation for the beautiful and finer things in life. She loved caviar, champagne and foie gras (she preferred a cold terrine to sautéed.) Yet as Jacques earned fame, she was never pretentious and typically added ice to her wine. She never left a gram of meat in a steamed lobster or crab shell, and recently sat for hours to extract garlic cloves from tiny heads grown in their garden.
She worshipped the sun and warmth. They wintered for years in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and later on Amelia Island in Florida. At least once each year they would sail on Oceania Cruises to someplace warm and delicious. We know that Gloria has now found a place of place full of sun and warmth and love in many hearts.
Because of concerns related to the covid-19 pandemic, there will be no funeral gathering at this time. By her request, there will be a big “Boules’ des Dimanche Club” party with all of her friends on her birthday in June 2021.
