JULIA CHILD: The (American) French Chef Julia Child (1912-2004) was an American woman who, after moving to Paris after
World War II, began taking cooking lessons at the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school. For her, at the age of 35, this began a life-long passion for cooking and teaching about cooking. Along with Simone Beck, a French woman, she wrote the now-famous cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, whose aim was to de-mystify French cooking for the American cook, by presenting la cuisine bourgeoise (everyday-home-cooking) in a detailed yet easy-to-follow English-language cookbook. After publishing the two volumes of this cookbook (which broke all records for cookbook sales in the US at that time), she was approached by PBS to present what was the very first cooking show on American television, "The French Chef" . (1963-73) See episodes online of several of Julia Child's cooking shows at pbs.org. If you click HERE, you can see the infamous Saturday Night Life skit, with Dan Akroyd playing Julia Child.
World War II, began taking cooking lessons at the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school. For her, at the age of 35, this began a life-long passion for cooking and teaching about cooking. Along with Simone Beck, a French woman, she wrote the now-famous cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, whose aim was to de-mystify French cooking for the American cook, by presenting la cuisine bourgeoise (everyday-home-cooking) in a detailed yet easy-to-follow English-language cookbook. After publishing the two volumes of this cookbook (which broke all records for cookbook sales in the US at that time), she was approached by PBS to present what was the very first cooking show on American television, "The French Chef" . (1963-73) See episodes online of several of Julia Child's cooking shows at pbs.org. If you click HERE, you can see the infamous Saturday Night Life skit, with Dan Akroyd playing Julia Child.
Julia's full Biography,
Appetite For Life Another biographic work, written by Julia, and Paul Child's nephew Alex Prud'homme, about Julia and Paul's years in France:
My Life In France |
Another biographic work, this one by Bob Spitz: Dearie
|
As Always, Julia (The letters between Julia and her dear friend, Avis DeVoto, throughout the process of preparing the cookbook.)
Julia Child
at the Smithsonian! |
Julia Child's kitchen from her house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was purchased by the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and is now on exhibit there. The entire kitchen and contents were moved and set up exactly as they had been in her home. Here are two links to more information: |
Julia Child attended the renowned private women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, Smith College. Northampton is a charming New England collegiate town, in an area that is rich in history, farming, and intellectual life. Calvin Coolidge was once mayor of Northampton (1909), and it was founded in the 1600s by Jonathan Edwards. Other famous women who have attended Smith include Gloria Steinem, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Julie Nixon Eisenhower (daughter of President Richard Nixon), Betty Friedan, Sylvia Plath, and Margaret Mitchell, among others. Julia was a great supporter of Smith.