Julia

Today the Wine Country has become the Hollywood of celebrity chefs. But back in the 50’s there was no cooking channel, and their were no foodies. There were just TV dinners, tuna noodle casserole and the emergence of fast food culture.

But along came Julia Child to change all that. Julia Child captivated her television viewers with“The French Chef." This woman, who brought fine cuisine into the homes of average Americans, transformed the way this country thought about cooking and eating. She was an early feminist who taught women to find pride in their culinary efforts and to take charge of their lives, just as she had.

Two weeks ago would have been Julia's 100th birthday. I had the honor of speaking with her several times over the years, and last week I spoke with Bob Spitz, the author of her new biography,Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child.

My conversation with Bob Spitz:

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Julia Child - November, 2001

With the opening, this weekend, of the movie Julie & Julia, attention turns to the late Julia Child and her contribution to food, cooking and simply the culinary life of America.  Michael Pollan captured much of the impact of that contribution in his recent N.Y. Times Magazine article. 

Back in November 2001, shortly before she would turn 90 years old and two years before her death, I had the chance to host a frail Julia Child in my studio, in connection with the opening of COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts.  Even with the advance of age, her voice was as strong as ever and her ideas and views lucid and honest as always.  

To mark this attention focused on Julia this week, my conversation with her, from November, 2001.     Powered by Podbean.com