Earl Peyroux, 78; Host of ‘Gourmet Cooking’ Programs for PBS

Earl Peyroux, 78, who was host of more than 600 episodes of the “Gourmet Cooking” television show for the Public Broadcasting System, died Thursday in Pensacola, Fla., after a prolonged illness.

A native of New Orleans, Peyroux graduated from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and studied in France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

He was an understudy to chefs Julia Child and Paul Prudhomme and wrote seven cookbooks.

Peyroux was a culinary teacher at Pensacola Junior College when WSRE-TV Channel 23, the campus public television station, asked him to conduct a cooking show in 1977. The program, though initially scheduled for only 13 episodes, lasted 18 years, most of that time telecast nationwide by the PBS network.

“People liked that he cooked an entire meal, made a mess and didn’t care ... he came across as a regular person,” said his producer, director and friend, Liz Watkins. Peyroux creations ranged from Creole gumbo to France’s duck a l’orange.