Julia Child, born August 15, 1912 as Julia Carolyn McWilliams, was a woman of many talents. American born and raised, Julia turned into a chef, author and t.v. personality all after the age of thirty. In fact, she couldn't even cook until the age of 32, until then, she just ate. She was well known for her iconic voice and fun loving personality, which was present in every episode of every show she was a part of.
Child grew up as part of a wealthy family, with two younger siblings and two loving parents. She earned a good education at choice schools like the Katherine Branson School for Girls and Smith College, in San Francisco and Northampton, respectively. Among her peers she was considered a prankster and as the tallest student at her primary school, an astounding 6'2, she was hard to miss.
During World War II, Julia wanted to participate in the war effort, but because of her height, she was unable to fight (it probably also has to do with the fact that she was a woman too, but we'll let that go for now). Instead of leaving it at that, Child began to work for the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor of the now CIA. She was one of the 4,500 women to serve in this way. Her early job included typing the names of officers onto thousands of little white note cards, as they didn't have computers. After working with name cards she was transferred to a much more interesting job. It was at this job where Child met her husband Paul, another OSS officer. The two were married in 1946 and moved to France for Paul's job.
This move is what opened Julia's eyes to the beauty of French cuisine. She attended Le Cordon Bleu for culinary school late in her life. She didn't know how to cook until 32 and even for a long while after that she was inexperienced in the kitchen. She studied under Max Bugnard, who later became her favorite teacher and was introduced to the Cercle de Gournette, a food club. It was there that Child met Louisette Bertholle, the second most influential culinary touchstone in her life. With both of these people, along with Simone Beck, Child opened a cooking school called "L'Ecole des Trois Gourmande." This was a very big undertaking but not the most adventurous one the three women, (Child, Beck, Bertholle), untertook in their time together. In 1961, they published Mastering the Art of French Cooking, after being denied by many publishers.
Once she and her husband returned to the states, Julia was offered a job with WGBH-Boston. Thus was born the wonderful television series The French Chef, which aired for the first time on February 11, 1963. After hundreds of episodes, Child branches out to more contemporary cuisine with her many other shows. She moved from only cooking classic French cuisine to cooking things more unfamiliar to her. An experience that can surely only be described as an adventure. Her later cooking shows included her good friend Jacques Pepin, who can still be found on public stations today. These many cooking shows are what most people know Julia Child for, and there is no mistake why. She had thousands of episodes of content that showed who she was while teaching even the worst cook how to make delicious food.
Child passed away due to kidney failure on August 12, 2004 at the age of 91, only two days prior to her 92nd birthday.2012 marked her 100th birthday, with many different publications celebrating by remembering everything she did, which was a lot. Public broadcasting stations still show episodes of her multiple series. Julia Child will never be forgotten. If I had to descrive her in one word, I would use the word phenomenal.
Above are some of Julia Child's most memorable quotes. In each one, whether it be humorous or inspirational, her personality was allowed to shine through her words of wisdom. These, and many more, grace the kitchens and homes of many people across the planet, and hopefully, you are able to see why.
Awards Won by Julia Child:
George Foster Peabody Award Multiple Emmy Awards and Nominations L'Ordre National du Merite Agricole Chevalier Award Grande Dame Multiple Book Awards Introduced to the Cookbook Hall of Fame Multiple Honorary Degrees (diploma to doctorate) and MANY more |
Books Written by Julia Child:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking The French Chef Cookbook From Julia Child's Kitchen Julia Child & Company The Way to Cook Julia Child's Menu Cookbook In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs Baking with Julia Julia's Menus for Special Occasions Julia's Breakfasts, Lunches and Suppers Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home Julia's Kitchen Wisdom And MANY more |
Productions Featuring Julia Child:
The French Chef Julia Child & Company Julia Child & More Company Dinner at Julia's Julia Child and Jacques Pepin: Cooking in Concert Cooking with Master Chefs Baking with Julia Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home Julia's Kitchen Wisdom |