Jean-Pierre Coffe (; 24 March 1938 – 29 March 2016) was a French radio and television presenter, food critic, and author.
Early life and education Jean-Pierre Coffe spent a major part of his childhood in the town where he was born, Lunéville. He never knew his father, mobilized in 1937 and killed on the field of battle in 1940. He was raised by his mother, who took over the family hairdressing salon. His grandmother was a cook and his grandfather a market gardener.
His mother left Lorraine for Paris where he studied at boarding school. At the age of 13, he was seized by a passion for theatre. After completing his studies, he took classes at the Cours Simon and had a number of small jobs at the same time.
Throughout his life, he was passionate about having healthy eating habits. When modern, unhealthy foods gained popularity, he was enraged and said, "This is sh*t!" These three words quickly became his catchphrase, caught by the public and directed to the new eating trends. https://www.france24.com/en/20160330-sht-france-says-goodbye-beloved-food-critic-jean-pierre-coffe
Television career Jean-Pierre Coffe then began a career in television in the early 1970s. He joined Canal+ on November 4, 1984, and appeared on a number of occasions in the programs hosted by Michel Deist. In 1992 and 1993, he made his first appearances in La Grande Famille hosted by Jean-Luc Delarue and Demain hosted by Michel Denisot for the cooking theme.
He then joined the French public channel where he hosted a cooking program with children titled Comment c'est fait ? ("How is it done?") from 1992 to 1993 on France 3, followed in 1994 by C'est tout Coffe ("This is all Coffe") on France 2. He joined private channel TF1 in 1999 to present Bien jardiner ("Gardening well"), produced by Jean-Luc Delarue, who finally decided to end the broadcast soon after, which marked the end of their friendship. In 2003, he joined Michel Drucker on France 2 where he served as a food critic in the program Vivement dimanche prochain. On 5 September 2012 he announced his departure of the program to spend more time on writing.
Radio career In September 1990 he joined the team of Les Grosses Têtes, a radio program hosted by Philippe Bouvard on RTL, for which he became a regular participant. He left in September 2010 and soon after joined the program On va s'gêner, hosted by Laurent Ruquier on Europe 1, which he left after one season in 2011. In 2014, he returned to Les Grosses Têtes on RTL when Laurent Ruquier took over as presenter. From 1998 to June 2008, he presented the program Ça se bouffe pas, ça se mange on France Inter every Saturday. At the end of the show on June 21, 2008, he announced his forced retirement by France Inter management.
Books Coffe published many books, ranging from recipes and gardening, to critiques of mass-produced food production and the manufacture of commercial food products. Some of his best-sellers were: Le Bon Vivre (Living Well) and Le Vrai Vivre (Authentic Living) in 1992, Comme à la Maison (Homely cooking) in 1993, Le Potager Plaisir (The Joy of Home-grown Food) and Le Marché (The Food Market) in 1998, Fleurs Bonheur (The Joy of Flowers) in 1999, Le Verger Gourmand (The Greedy Gardener) in 2000, La Véritable Histoire des Jardins de Versailles (The True History of the Gardens of Versailles), with Alain Baraton in 2007, Les Recettes Inratables de Jean-Pierre Coffe (Jean-Pierre Coffe's Failure-proof Recipes) in 2007, Mes Confitures (My Jams) in 2008, and Le Plaisir à Petit Prix (Good Food on a Budget) in 2009.
Death On 29 March 2016, Coffe died at his home in Lanneray.« Jean-Pierre Coffe est mort à l'âge de 78 ans », on rtl.fr, March 29, 2016
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1972 What a Flash! 1976 Scrambled Eggs Le maire 1977 Le dernier baiser 1978 Violette Nozière Le docteur Déon 1978 La clé sur la porte Le collègue prof 1979 Ils sont grands, ces petits Charles, l'ex-mari 1979 Au bout du bout du banc Brigitte's husband 1979 The Associate L'employé du museum d'histoire naturelle 1979 Gros-Câlin Le Père Joseph 1984 Swann in Love Aime 1985 All Mixed Up Le commissaire de police 1986 Suivez mon regard 2008 Mia and the Migoo Nénesse Voice2013 C'est bon Narrator Voice, (final film role)
Honors Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit
References
External links
Official site of Jean-Pierre Coffe