Jean-Luc Petitrenaud, the warm and essential face of French gastronomic journalism, passed away at the age of 74. Louise and Antonin, his children, announced his death. It was on Friday, January 10. They specified that he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.
With him disappears a unique figure. He was an icon of television and radio cuisine. For him, "cooking" was not just a task.
It was above all an art of living. But also, a means of sharing.
A lover of the land and "good eating"
Born on December 5, 1950, in Clermont-Ferrand, Jean-Luc Petitrenaud grew up in the simplicity of a modest home, where the family table resembled a feast. It was with his grandmother Louise, in Allier, that he discovered his first gustatory thrills. The flavors of the Auvergne countryside marked his palate and imagination. The famous potato pie is an example.
Later, he would regularly emphasize the importance of his family. They played a fundamental role in his passion for "good eating".
This leitmotif, he would repeat throughout his career.
Despite his attraction to gastronomy, his beginnings were eclectic. After training in boilermaking and earning a diploma as a specialized educator, he headed to Switzerland to join a theater troupe in Lausanne, then Annie Fratellini’s circus school. This stage experience nurtured in him a taste for spectacle and staging: a talent that would later shine through when he took thousands of viewers on the gourmet paths of France.
A media trajectory marked by sincerity and proximity
It was on the radio that Jean-Luc Petitrenaud made his debut, in 1984, hosting local shows and becoming a gastronomic columnist for Radio Suisse Romande. His calm voice, spiced with his benevolent banter, immediately charmed. Once back in France, he joined Europe 1. His show "Le Bistrot du dimanche" (1998-2014) became his favorite playground.
He talked about small shops, great tables, passionate farmers, and daring chefs.
In parallel, he presented "Grands gourmands" on France 3 (1997-2000). He already demonstrated his unique talent there.
His gift was to tell flavors as one tells a story.
However, it was on France 5 that Jean-Luc Petitrenaud established his visual and editorial signature. "Carte postale gourmande" (2000-2006) and "Les Escapades de Petitrenaud" (2006-2017) became essential weekly appointments. With a camera in hand or a notebook in hand, he traveled through the French terroirs.
He journeyed from the Savoyard slopes to the Breton coasts, from the Provençal markets to the Parisian bistros.
His mission was to meet those who contribute to the culinary richness of our country.
As a fervent defender of French culinary heritage, he highlighted the small family businesses.
These perpetuate age-old traditions.
The legacy of a storyteller of gastronomy, in the history of a French passion
The passion of the French for good food and culinary excellence has a long history.
It first illustrated itself at the court of Louis XIV.
Then, it continued under the pen of great chefs.
Names like Carême or Escoffier are perfect examples.
In the 20th century, gastronomy became an identity marker, notably thanks to the first guides (Michelin at the forefront) and culinary critics (Curnonsky, Gault & Millau).
With the advent of television, cuisine left the grand kitchens of palaces to become a matter of popular spectacle. Shows like "La Cuisine des Mousquetaires" with Maïté or "Art et magie de la cuisine" from the 1950s brought gastronomy into homes, creating television personalities sometimes as famous as the dishes they presented. Petitrenaud, following in the footsteps of these pioneers, managed to bring proximity back to an art sometimes considered elitist, by telling each dish as a life story.
Besides television and radio, Jean-Luc Petitrenaud leaves behind about twenty works, all imbued with that gourmet curiosity and sense of storytelling that characterized him. Le Guide du casse-croûte, Mes Bons coups de fourchette, or Promenades gourmandes celebrate the simplicity of local products, the closeness between the cook and the producer, as well as the universal joy of sharing a good table. In 2016, Bienvenue chez moi revealed more about his personal journey, punctuated by childhood flavors and juicy anecdotes. His last book, Les Quatre saisons d’Émile et Marcelle (2018), took the path of fiction, without betraying the essence of the family and culinary narrative.
A builder of bridges between popular cuisine and haute gastronomy
Made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2004 by Jacques Chirac, Jean-Luc Petitrenaud then joined the ranks of illustrious colleagues who have made French culture shine internationally. Like Maïté, who passed away three weeks ago, he belongs to that generation of passionate people who opened gastronomy to everyone: thanks to them, the idea that a good meal can be prepared with little means, but a lot of ingenuity and heart, has firmly rooted itself in the collective imagination.
With the passing of Jean-Luc Petitrenaud, a bit of that conviviality and simple indulgence fades away. For many, his shows went far beyond entertainment: they initiated taste, invited travel, and wove an invaluable link between producers, cooks, and diners. Under his pen or in front of the camera, he paid tribute to the French culinary heritage.
This heritage is recognized by UNESCO.
It is classified as an intangible cultural treasure. He knew like no other how to elevate "three times nothing" so that the viewer could feel all the magic of a shared meal.
In leaving, Jean-Luc Petitrenaud thus leaves an indelible mark on the gastronomic landscape: a legacy of flavors and words, ready to inspire new generations of cooks, hosts, or simply lovers of the table.
May everyone honor him in their own way: by raising a glass, sharing a local dish, or rediscovering, thanks to the magic of television, his gourmet journeys that had the gift of making our taste buds travel.
