Jacques Pepin at Petanque America Open

Master Chef Jacques Pépin and Pétanque America Go Way Back

The game of Pétanque attracts people from all social and cultural levels of society. However there are two particular high profile groups that seem to have a special affinity to this century old French ballgame: Actors and Chefs.

The explanation for this phenomenon turns out to be quite simple: They have short spurs of idle time on their hands between performances. Anyone who has ever worked a restaurant kitchen knows the hectic pace of lunch time, usually followed by a lull of about an hour or so. In France this break is often filled by a relaxed but highly competitive game of Petanque. Especially in the South of France, most of the kitchen staff have their own set of balls (boules) and when the work pace slacks, the game begins.

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