Julia Child was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chefA chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
,
authorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality. She is recognized for introducing
French cuisineFrench cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
to the American public with her debut
cookbookA cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
,
Mastering the Art of French CookingMastering the Art of French Cooking is a two-volume French cookbook written by Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, both of France, and Julia Child of the United States...
, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was
The French ChefThe French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
, which premiered in 1963.
In 1996, Julia Child was ranked #46 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
Childhood and education
Child was born
Julia Carolyn McWilliams in
Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, the daughter of John McWilliams, Jr., a
Princeton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
graduate and prominent land manager, and his wife, the former Julia Carolyn ("Caro") Weston, a paper-company heiress whose father,
Byron Curtis WestonCaptain Byron Curtis Weston was a native of Massachusetts who founded the Weston Paper Company in 1863 and served as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1880 to 1883. He came from an old New England Congregationalist family of extraordinary wealth...
, served as lieutenant governor of
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The eldest of three children, she had a brother, John III (1914–2002), and a sister, Dorothy Dean (1917–2006).
Child attended Westridge School,
Polytechnic SchoolPolytechnic School, often referred to as simply Poly, is a college preparatory private school in Pasadena, California.-History:The school was founded in 1907 as the first private non-sectarian, non-profit elementary school in California. It descends from the Throop Polytechnic Institute founded by...
from fourth grade to ninth grade, then
The Katherine Branson SchoolThe Branson School in Ross, California is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory day school with 320 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12....
in
Ross, CaliforniaRoss is a small incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. Ross is located west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 36 feet . The population was 2,415 at the 2010 census...
, which was at the time a boarding school. At six feet, two inches (1.88 m) tall, Child played tennis, golf, and basketball as a child and continued to play sports while attending
Smith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, from which she graduated in 1934 with a major in English. A press release issued by Smith in 2004 states that her major was history.
Following her graduation from college, Child moved to New York City, where she worked as a copywriter for the
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
department of upscale home-furnishing firm
W. & J. SloaneW. & J. Sloane was a furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the wealthy.-History:The company was founded as a rug importer and seller on March 2, 1843 by William Sloane who had just emigrated from Kilmarnock, Scotland, a town famous for weaving fine carpets and rugs. In 1852 his...
. Returning to California in 1937, she spent the next four years writing for local publications and working in advertising.
World War II
Child joined the
Office of Strategic ServicesThe Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(OSS) after finding that she was too tall to enlist in the
Women's Army Corps (WACs)The Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...
or in the U.S. Navy's
WAVESThe WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
. She began her OSS career as a typist at its headquarters in Washington, but because of her education and experience soon was given a more responsible position as a top secret researcher working directly for the head of OSS, General William J. Donovan. As a research assistant in the Secret Intelligence division, she typed 10,000 names on white note cards to keep track of officers. For a year, she worked at the OSS Emergency Rescue Equipment Section (ERES) in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as a file clerk and then as an assistant to developers of a
shark repellentA shark repellent is any method of driving sharks away from an area, object, person, or animal. Shark repellents are one category of animal repellents.-Overview:Shark repellents have been of interest to human beings for many years, for a number of reasons...
needed to ensure that sharks would not explode
ordnanceA weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
targeting German
U-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s. In 1944 she was posted to
KandyKandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
, Ceylon (now
Sri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
), where her responsibilities included "registering, cataloging and channeling a great volume of highly classified communications" for the OSS's clandestine stations in Asia. She was later posted to China, where she received the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service as head of the Registry of the OSS Secretariat. For her service, Child received an award that cited her many virtues, including her "drive and inherent cheerfulness." As with other OSS records, Child's file was declassified in 2008, and, unlike other files, her complete file is available online.
While in Ceylon, she met
Paul Cushing ChildPaul Cushing Child is best known as the husband of world-renowned celebrity chef, Julia Child.-Early life:Child was born in Montclair, NJ on January 15, 1902 to Bertha Cushing and Charles Triplet Child. His twin brother was named Charles...
, also an OSS employee, and the two were married September 1, 1946 in
Lumberville, PennsylvaniaLumberville, Pennsylvania is a village on the Delaware River in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with a zip code of 18933. It is seven miles north of New Hope, Pennsylvania, and is located along River Road....
, later moving to Washington, D.C. Child, a
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
native who had lived in Paris as an artist and poet, was known for his sophisticated palate, and introduced his wife to fine cuisine. He joined the
United States Foreign ServiceThe United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
and in 1948 the couple moved to Paris when the
US State DepartmentThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
assigned Paul there as an exhibits officer with the
United States Information AgencyThe United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
. The couple had no children.
Post-war France
Child repeatedly recalled her first meal in
RouenRouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
as a culinary revelation; once, she described the meal of
oysterThe word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s,
sole meunièreSole Meunière is a classic French dish consisting of sole, whole or fillet, that is dredged in flour, pan fried in butter and served with the resulting brown butter sauce and lemon. Sole has a light but moist texture when cooked and has a mild flavor. Since sole is a flatfish, a single fish will...
, and fine
wineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
to
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as "an opening up of the soul and spirit for me." In Paris she attended the famous
Le Cordon BleuLe Cordon Bleu is the world's largest hospitality education institution, with 35 schools on five continents serving 20,000 students annually. Its primary education focus is on hospitality management and the culinary arts...
cooking school and later studied privately with Max Bugnard and other master chefs. She joined the women's cooking club
Cercle des Gourmettes; through the club she met
Simone BeckSimone "Simca" Beck was a French cookbook author and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cooking technique and recipes into American kitchens.-Biography:Except for a few years spent learning...
, who was writing a French cookbook for Americans with her friend
Louisette BertholleLouisette Bertholle is a French chef and author, best known as one of the three authors of the bestselling cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.- History :...
. Beck proposed that Child work with them, to make the book appeal to Americans.
In 1951, Child, Beck, and Bertholle began to teach cooking to American women in Child's Paris kitchen, calling their informal school
L'école des trois gourmandesL'école des trois gourmandes was a cooking school founded in Paris, France, during the 1950s by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle. The work done by the school was later expanded into the two-volume Mastering the Art of French Cooking series, and Child wore the logo of the school as...
(The School of the Three Food Lovers). For the next decade, as the Childs moved around Europe and finally to
Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, the three researched and repeatedly tested recipes. Child translated the French into English, making the recipes detailed, interesting, and practical.
In 1963, the Childs built a home near the
ProvenceProvence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
town of
PlascassierPlascassier is located between Valbonne and Grasse and only 31 km away from Nice airport. Although bordered by several communes; Valbonne, Opio, Mouans-Sartoux and Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, it falls under the jurisdictic umbrella of Grasse.Edith Piaf died here on October 10 or 11,...
in the hills above Cannes on property belonging to co-author
Simone BeckSimone "Simca" Beck was a French cookbook author and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cooking technique and recipes into American kitchens.-Biography:Except for a few years spent learning...
and her husband, Jean Fischbacher. The Childs named it "
La PitchouneLa Pitchoune is a small stucco house that Julia Child and her husband, Paul, built in the Provençal village of Plascassier in France. La Pitchoune is a French expression for "the little one". The cottage was built on property of Simone Beck and her husband Jean Fischbacher with a "handshake"...
", a Provençal word meaning "the little one" but over time the property was often affectionately referred to simply as 'La Peetch'.
Books and television
The three would-be authors initially signed a contract with publisher
Houghton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
, which later rejected the manuscript for seeming too much like an encyclopedia. Finally, when it was first published in 1961 by
Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
, the 734-page
Mastering the Art of French CookingMastering the Art of French Cooking is a two-volume French cookbook written by Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, both of France, and Julia Child of the United States...
was a best-seller and received critical acclaim that derived in part from the American interest in French culture in the early 1960s. Lauded for its helpful illustrations and precise attention to detail, and for making fine cuisine accessible, the book is still in print and is considered a seminal culinary work. Following this success, Child wrote magazine articles and a regular column for
The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
newspaper. She would go on to publish nearly twenty titles under her name and with others. Many, though not all, were related to her television shows. Her last book was the autobiographical
My Life in FranceMy Life in France is an autobiography by Julia Child, published in 2006. It was compiled by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, her husband's grandnephew, during the last eight months of her life, and completed and published by Prud'homme following her death in August 2004.In her own words, it is a...
, published posthumously in 2006 and written with her husband's nephew,
Alex Prud'hommeAlex Prud’homme is an American journalist and the author of several non-fiction books. He is a 1984 graduate of Middlebury College and attended the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference....
. The book recounts Child's life with her husband, Paul Child, in post-World War II France.
The French Chef and related books
A 1962 appearance on a
book reviewA book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...
show on the
National Educational TelevisionNational Educational Television was an American non-commercial educational public television network in the United States from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970...
(NET) station of Boston,
WGBHWGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
, led to the inception of her first television cooking show after viewers enjoyed her demonstration of how to cook an
omeletteIn cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat , or some combination of the above...
.
The French ChefThe French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
had its debut on February 11, 1963, on
WGBHWGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
and was immediately successful. The show ran nationally for ten years and won
PeabodyThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
and
EmmyAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Awards, including the first Emmy award for an educational program. Though she was not the first television cook, Child was the most widely seen. She attracted the broadest audience with her cheery enthusiasm, distinctively charming warbly voice, and non-patronizing and unaffected manner.
In 1972,
The French Chef became the first television program to be captioned for the deaf, albeit in the preliminary technology of open captioning.
Child's second book,
The French Chef Cookbook, was a collection of the recipes she had demonstrated on the show. It was soon followed in 1971 by
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two, again in collaboration with Simone Beck, but not with Louisette Bertholle, the professional relationship with whom ended. Child's fourth book,
From Julia Child's Kitchen, was illustrated with her husband's photographs and documented the color series of
The French Chef, as well as providing an extensive library of kitchen notes compiled by Child during the course of the show.
In 1981 she founded The American Institute of Wine & Food, with vintners
Robert MondaviRobert Gerald Mondavi was a leading California vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than...
and
Richard GraffRichard Graff was one of the pioneers of modern California winemaking.-Early life:Born on January 20, 1937, he grew up in the San Francisco suburb of Danville. He first passion was music, culminating in a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard. While at Harvard he restored an entire theater organ in a...
, and others, to "advance the understanding, appreciation and quality of wine and food," a pursuit she had already begun with her books and television appearances.
Later shows and books
In the 1970s and 1980s, she was the star of numerous television programs, including
Julia Child & Company,
Julia Child & More Company and
Dinner at Julia's; at the same time she also produced what she considered her
magnum opusMasterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, a book and instructional video series collectively entitled
The Way To CookThe Way To Cook is a cookbook and series of instructional videos written by television personality and cooking teacher Julia Child; Child saw it as her magnum opus and considered it a culmination of her career as a cooking teacher up to that point...
, which was published in 1989.
She starred in four more series in the 1990s that featured guest chefs:
Cooking with Master Chefs, In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, Baking With JuliaBaking With Julia is an American television cooking program produced by Julia Child and the name of the book which accompanied the series. Each episode featured one pastry chef or baker who demonstrates professional techniques that can be performed in a home kitchen...
, and
Julia Child & Jacques Pépin Cooking at Home. She collaborated with
Jacques PépinJacques Pépin is an internationally recognized French chef, television personality, and author working in the United States. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Lyon in France, Pepin was raised by a father and mother who jointly owned a restaurant, where he later credited the start of his love for food. He...
many times for television programs and cookbooks. All of Child's books during this time stemmed from the television series of the same names.
Child's use of ingredients like butter and cream has been questioned by food critics and modern-day nutritionists. She addressed these criticisms throughout her career, predicting that a "fanatical fear of food" would take over the country's dining habits, and that focusing too much on nutrition takes the pleasure from enjoying food. In a 1990 interview, Child said, "Everybody is overreacting. If fear of food continues, it will be the death of gastronomy in the United States. Fortunately, the French don't suffer from the same hysteria we do. We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life."
Home as television set
Julia Child's kitchenJulia Child's kitchen is an historic artifact on display on the ground floor of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center, located in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall...
, designed by her husband, was the setting for three of her television shows. It is now on display at the
National Museum of American HistoryThe National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Beginning with
In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, the Childs' home kitchen in Cambridge was fully transformed into a functional set, with TV-quality lighting, three cameras positioned to catch all angles in the room, and a massive center island with a gas stovetop on one side and an electric stovetop on the other, but leaving the rest of the Childs' appliances alone, including "my wall oven with its squeaking door." This kitchen backdrop hosted nearly all of Child's 1990s television series.
Other appearances
She appeared in an episode of
This Old HouseThis Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
as designer of the kitchen. This Old House was launched in 1979 by Russell Morash, who helped create
The French Chef with Julia Child.
Emmy Awards
- 1966: Achievements in Educational Television- Individuals for The French Chef, won
- 1972: Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement - General Programming for The French Chef, nominated
- 1994: Outstanding Informational Series for Cooking with Master Chefs, nominated
Daytime Emmy Awards
- 1996: Outstanding Service Show Host for In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, won
- 1997: Outstanding Service Show Host for Baking with Julia, nominated
- 1999 Outstanding Service Show Host for Baking with Julia, nominated
- 2000: Outstanding Service Show Host for Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home, nominated
- 2001: Outstanding Service Show Host for Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home, won
In popular culture
Child was a favorite of audiences from the moment of her television debut on public television in 1963, and she was a familiar part of American culture and the subject of numerous references. In 1966 she was featured on the cover of
TimeTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
with the heading, "Our Lady of the Ladle."
In a 1978
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
sketch (episode 74), she was parodied by
Dan AykroydDaniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
continuing with a cooking show despite ludicrously profuse bleeding from a cut to his thumb, and eventually expiring while advising "Save the liver". Child reportedly loved this sketch so much she showed it to friends at parties.
Jean Stapleton portrayed her in a 1989 musical,
Bon Appétit!, based on one of her televised cooking lessons. The title derived from her famous TV sign-off: "This is Julia Child. Bon appétit!" She was the inspiration for the character "Julia Grownup" on the Children's Television Workshop program,
The Electric CompanyThe Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...
(1971–1977), and was portrayed (or more accurately, parodied) in many other television and radio programs and skits, including
The Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
(1984–1992) by character Heathcliff Huxtable (
Bill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
) and
Garrison KeillorGary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
's radio series
A Prairie Home CompanionA Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
by voice actor
Tim RussellTim Russell is an American radio announcer and voice actor in Minneapolis – Saint Paul. He is most widely known as one of the actors on the long-running radio show, A Prairie Home Companion...
. Julia Child's TV show is briefly portrayed in the 1986 movie,
The Money PitThe Money Pit is a 1986 comedy film and remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Directed by Richard Benjamin and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house. The Money Pit was filmed in New...
starring
Tom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and
Shelley LongShelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
; the 1985
MadonnaMadonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
film
Desperately Seeking SusanDesperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.-Plot:...
and the 1991 comedy
Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's DeadDon't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a 1991 comedy film directed by Stephen Herek starring Christina Applegate.Applegate stars as a teenager whose mother leaves for a two-month summer vacation in Australia, putting all five siblings in the care of a strict tyrannical elderly babysitter...
. In 1993, she was the voice of Dr. Juliet Bleeb in the children's film
We're Back! A Dinosaur's StoryWe're Back! A Dinosaur's Story is a 1993 American animated film, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblimation animation studio, distributed by Universal Pictures, and originally released to theaters on November 24, 1993 for the United States. It was rated G by the MPAA...
. Child's TV show was also featured in the 1993 movie
Mrs. DoubtfireMrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...
, when Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire (
Robin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
) is watching the show to learn gourmet cooking.
In 2002, Child was the inspiration for "The Julie/Julia Project," a popular cooking blog by
Julie PowellJulie Powell is an American author best known for her book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.- Biography :...
that was the basis of Powell's 2005 bestselling book,
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, the paperback version of which was retitled
Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously. The blog and book, along with Child's own memoir, in turn inspired the 2009 feature film
Julie & JuliaJulie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...
. (
Meryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
portrayed Child in half the narrative.) Child is reported to have been unimpressed by Powell's blog, believing Powell's determination to cook every recipe in
Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year to be a stunt. Child's editor, Judith Jones, said in an interview: "Flinging around four-letter words when cooking isn't attractive, to me or Julia. She didn't want to endorse it. What came through on the blog was somebody who was doing it almost for the sake of a stunt. She would never really describe the end results, how delicious it was, and what she learned. Julia didn’t like what she called 'the flimsies.' She didn't suffer fools, if you know what I mean."
Retirement
After the death of her beloved friend
Simone BeckSimone "Simca" Beck was a French cookbook author and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cooking technique and recipes into American kitchens.-Biography:Except for a few years spent learning...
, Child relinquished La Peetch after a month long stay in June 1992 with her niece, Phila, and her family. She turned the keys over to Jean Fischbacher's sister, just as she and Paul had promised nearly 30 years earlier. Paul, who was ten years older, died in 1994 after living in a
nursing homeA nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
for five years following a series of strokes in 1989.
In 2001, she moved to a
retirementRetirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
community in
Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, donating her house and office to
Smith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, which later sold the house. She donated her kitchen, which her husband designed with high counters to accommodate her formidable height, and which served as the set for three of her television series, to the
National Museum of American HistoryThe National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
, where it is now on display. Her iconic copper pots and pans were on display at
COPIACOPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts was a cultural museum and education center dedicated to the discovery, understanding, and celebration of wine, food and the arts in American culture. COPIA was located in the Napa Valley in the town of Napa, California...
in
Napa, California-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
, until August 2009 when they were reunited with her kitchen at the Smithsonian
National Museum of American HistoryThe National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
in Washington, DC.
In 2000, Child received the French Legion of Honor and was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 2000. She was awarded the U.S.
Presidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
in 2003. Child also received honorary doctorates from
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
,
Johnson & Wales UniversityJohnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...
in 1995, her
alma materAlma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
Smith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
,
Brown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 2000, and several other universities.
Death
On August 13, 2004, Julia Child died of
kidney failureRenal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
at her assisted-living home in
MontecitoMontecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, two days before her 92nd birthday. Child ended her last book,
My Life in FranceMy Life in France is an autobiography by Julia Child, published in 2006. It was compiled by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, her husband's grandnephew, during the last eight months of her life, and completed and published by Prud'homme following her death in August 2004.In her own words, it is a...
, with "... thinking back on it now reminds that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite - toujours bon appétit!"
Films
On August 18, 2004, a documentary filmed during her lifetime premiered. Produced by WGBH, the one-hour feature,
Julia Child! America's Favorite Chef, was aired as the first episode of the 18th season of the PBS series
American MastersAmerican Masters is a PBS television show which produces biographies on the artists, actors and writers of the United States who have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City...
. The film combined archive footage of Child with current footage from those who influenced and were influenced by her life and work.
A film adapted by
Nora EphronNora Ephron is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author, and blogger.She is best known for her romantic comedies and is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in...
from Child's memoir
My Life in France and from Julie Powell's memoir, and directed by Ephron,
Julie & JuliaJulie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...
, was released on August 7, 2009.
Meryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
played Child; her performance was nominated for numerous awards, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical or Comedy.
A film titled
Primordial Soup With Julia Child was on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's
Life in The Universe gallery from 1976 until the gallery closed.
She also voiced the character Doctor Juliet Bleeb, an eccentric Museum of Natural History employee in the children's movie
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.
Television series
- The French Chef
The French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
(1963–1973)
- Julia Child & Company (1978–1979)
- Julia Child & More Company (1980–1982)
- Dinner at Julia's (1983–1985)
- The Way To Cook
The Way To Cook is a cookbook and series of instructional videos written by television personality and cooking teacher Julia Child; Child saw it as her magnum opus and considered it a culmination of her career as a cooking teacher up to that point...
(1989) six one-hour videocassettes
- A Birthday Party for Julia Child: Compliments to the Chef (1992)
- Cooking with Master Chefs: Hosted by Julia Child
Cooking with Master Chefs was a PBS television cooking show that featured Julia Child visiting 16 celebrated chefs in the United States. An episode that featured Lidia Bastianich was nominated for a 1994 Emmy Award. Other chefs she visited included Emeril Lagasse, Jacques Pépin, and Alice Waters...
(1993–1994) 16 episodes
- Cooking In Concert: Julia Child & Jacques Pepin (1993)
- In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs (1994–1996), 39 episodes
- Cooking in Concert: Julia Child & Jacques Pepin
Jacques Pépin is an internationally recognized French chef, television personality, and author working in the United States. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Lyon in France, Pepin was raised by a father and mother who jointly owned a restaurant, where he later credited the start of his love for food. He...
(1995)
- Baking with Julia
Baking With Julia is an American television cooking program produced by Julia Child and the name of the book which accompanied the series. Each episode featured one pastry chef or baker who demonstrates professional techniques that can be performed in a home kitchen...
(1996–1998) 39 episodes
- Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home (1999–2000) 22 episodes
- Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom, (2000) two-hour special
DVD releases
- Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom (2000)
- Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home (2003)
- Julia Child: America's Favorite Chef (2004)
- The French Chef: Volume One (2005)
- The French Chef: Volume Two (2005)
- Julia Child! The French Chef (2006)
- The Way To Cook (2009)
- Baking With Julia (2009)
- Julie and Julia (2010)
Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...
Books
- Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a two-volume French cookbook written by Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, both of France, and Julia Child of the United States...
(1961), with Simone BeckSimone "Simca" Beck was a French cookbook author and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cooking technique and recipes into American kitchens.-Biography:Except for a few years spent learning...
and Louisette BertholleLouisette Bertholle is a French chef and author, best known as one of the three authors of the bestselling cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.- History :...
—ISBN 0-375-41340-5
- The French Chef Cookbook (1968)—ISBN 0-394-40135-2
- Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two (1970), with Simone Beck
Simone "Simca" Beck was a French cookbook author and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cooking technique and recipes into American kitchens.-Biography:Except for a few years spent learning...
—ISBN 0-394-40152-2
- From Julia Child's Kitchen (1975)—ISBN 0-517-20712-5
- Julia Child & Company (1978)—ISBN 0-345-31449-2
- Julia Child & More Company (1979)—ISBN 0-345-31450-6
- The Way To Cook
The Way To Cook is a cookbook and series of instructional videos written by television personality and cooking teacher Julia Child; Child saw it as her magnum opus and considered it a culmination of her career as a cooking teacher up to that point...
(1989)—ISBN 0-394-53264-3
- Julia Child's Menu Cookbook (1991), one-volume edition of Julia Child & Company and Julia Child & More Company—ISBN 0-517-06485-5
- Cooking With Master Chefs (1993)—ISBN 0-679-74829-6
- In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs (1995)—ISBN 0-679-43896-3
- Baking with Julia
Baking With Julia is an American television cooking program produced by Julia Child and the name of the book which accompanied the series. Each episode featured one pastry chef or baker who demonstrates professional techniques that can be performed in a home kitchen...
(1996)—ISBN 0-688-14657-0
- Julia's Delicious Little Dinners (1998)—ISBN 0-375-40336-1
- Julia's Menus For Special Occasions (1998)—ISBN 0-375-40338-8
- Julia's Breakfasts, Lunches & Suppers (1999)—ISBN 0-375-40339-6
- Julia's Casual Dinners (1999)—ISBN 0-375-40337-X
- Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home (1999), with Jacques Pépin
Jacques Pépin is an internationally recognized French chef, television personality, and author working in the United States. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Lyon in France, Pepin was raised by a father and mother who jointly owned a restaurant, where he later credited the start of his love for food. He...
—ISBN 0-375-40431-7
- Julia's Kitchen Wisdom
Julia's Kitchen Wisdom is a book of cooking principles, first published in 2000, that was based on the notebook of the famous American television chef Julia Child....
(2000)—ISBN 0-375-41151-8
- My Life in France
My Life in France is an autobiography by Julia Child, published in 2006. It was compiled by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, her husband's grandnephew, during the last eight months of her life, and completed and published by Prud'homme following her death in August 2004.In her own words, it is a...
(2006, posthumous), with Alex Prud'homme—ISBN 1-4000-4346-8
- (collected in) American Food Writing: An Anthology with Classic Recipes, ed. Molly O'Neill (Library of America
The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
, 2007) ISBN 1598530054
External links