Julia Child: biography, films and awards

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Julia Child's kitchen is still popular with many housewives around the world. This woman influenced not only American society, but also other countries with her culinary arts.

Early years

Popular TV chef and author Julia Child, born Julia McWilliams, was born on August 15, 1912 in Pasadena, California. She was the eldest of three children. Julia has been known by several nicknames such as Juke, Juju and Jukies. Her father, John McWilliams Jr., was a Princeton graduate and worked as a real estate investor in California. His wife, Julia Carolyn Weston, became the heir to the paper business. Her father served as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.

Julia's family accumulated a considerable stock of we alth, and as a result, the child lived in abundance and, one might say, had a privileged childhood. Julia Child, whose edited cookery book still enjoys interest, was educated at the elite Katherine Branson School for Girls in San Francisco. Her height at that time was 6 feet 2 inches, so she wasthe tallest student in his class. She was a prankster who, according to her acquaintances, could pull off some really wild jokes. Julia was also adventurous and athletic, playing golf, tennis, and hunting with particular talent.

First work

In 1930, she entered Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts with the intention of becoming a writer. “At that time there were quite famous women novelists,” she said, “and I was going to become one of them.” Although she enjoyed writing short plays, which Julia regularly submitted to the New Yorker for publication, none of her work was published. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York where she worked in the advertising department of W&J Sloane's prestige home furnishings. After transferring the trademark to the Los Angeles firm, Julia was fired.

World War II

In 1941, at the start of World War II, Julia moved to Washington, D. C., where she volunteered for the military as a research officer for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a new intelligence unit formed by the government. Julia played a pivotal role in her position, relaying classified information between U. S. government officials and intelligence officers in messages. Later, Julia and her colleagues were sent to work in various strategic locations around the world. The girl visited China, Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 1945, while shewas in Sri Lanka, Julia met and began dating OSS officer Paul Child. In September 1946, after the end of World War II, Julia and Paul returned to America and got married.

Cooking School

In 1948, when Paul was transferred to the US Information Service at the American embassy in Paris, the Child family moved to France. At that time, Julia developed a penchant for French cuisine. She entered the Cordon Bleu culinary school, known throughout the world. This was followed by six months of training which included private exercises with Chef Max Benard. After that, Julia, together with fellow Cordon Bleu students Simone Back and Louiset Berthol, formed her culinary school L'Ecole de Trois Gourmandes.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

With the aim of adapting complex French cuisine for ordinary Americans, a trio of cooking girls worked on a two-volume recipe book. The women received an advance of $750 for this work. However, the publisher-customer rejected the manuscript due to its very long length of 734 pages. Another publisher eventually took over the huge cookbook, releasing it in September 1961 under the title Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The work is considered a groundbreaking creation, and this book remained a bestseller for five years after its publication. This book has since become the standard guide for the culinary community.

Julia promoted her book by advertising it on public channels. Boston television, which were not far from her home. Her trademark image was straightforward and humorous, showing her cooking scrambled eggs outdoors. The reaction of the public was enthusiastic, Julia began to receive letters from readers in huge quantities, not to mention endless phone calls. Then she was invited to a television channel to host her own cooking program. Julia originally earned $50 per show, which was later raised to $200 plus expenses.

TV success

In 1962, WGBH aired "French Chef TV" which described how "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" changed American food habits and how Julia became a local celebrity. Shortly thereafter, "The French Chef" was shown on 96 stations across America.

In 1964, Julia received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, then in 1966, the Emmy Award. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Julia made regular appearances on ABC's Good Morning America.

At the same time, she worked hard on other programs such as "Julia Child and Company" (1978), "D. Child and More" (1980), "Dinner with Julia" (1983). There was also a show where Julia reviewed her best-selling cookbooks covering all aspects of the culinary arts. Her most recent cookbooksthe books were Master Class with Julia Child (1995), Baking with Julia (1996), Julia's Delicious Dinners (1998) and Julia's Random Dinners (1999), all of which were highly rated.

Opponents

However, not everyone was a fan of Julia. She was often criticized in letters from TV viewers for not washing her hands, as well as for the fact that, in their opinion, her demeanor in the kitchen was unacceptable. “You are an absolutely disgusting cook, you don’t even know how to remove meat from bones,” wrote some. “Yes, I am not one of those people who are hypersensitive to sanitation,” Child answered. Others have been concerned about the high levels of fat that French cooking has. Julia Child responded by suggesting that such people eat in moderation. "I'd rather eat one tablespoon of Russe chocolate cake than three bowls of jelly," she said.

Death and legacy

Despite the critics, Julia continued to post cooking tips. In 1993, she was honored for her work when she became the first woman to be inducted into the Culinary Institute's Hall of Fame. In November 2000, after a 40-year career that has made her name synonymous with fine food and the most famous chefs in the world, Julia received France's highest award, the Legion of Honor. And in August 2002, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History presented an exhibition featuring three popular cooking shows. Julia.

Julia Child, whose photo is familiar to every professional culinary specialist, died in August 2004 from a kidney disease at her home in Montecito, two days before her 92nd birthday. Julia did not stop her activities even in the last days. “Pensioners are bored, so they have to work until the very end,” she said. After her death, an autobiographical book, My Life in France, was published with the help of Child's nephew, Alex. The book, which told about how Julia discovered what was her true calling, became a bestseller.

Julia's memory continues to live on through her various cookbooks and her cooking show. In 2009, the film directed by Nora Ephron "Julia and Julia" became a hit in theaters, it told about the life that Julia Child led. The film was also interesting because Meryl Streep and Amy Adams starred in the roles. For her performance, Streep earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and became an Oscar nominee.

August 15, 2012 would have been Julia's 100th birthday. In celebration of the woman's centenary, restaurants across the United States have participated in Julia's Restaurant Week, featuring Julia Child's recipes on their menus.