This was originally published on August 13, 2017 by the the Patron Saint & Founder Of Feed Me!; since there's no improving perfection, we're republishing it for Julia's birthday today, August 15th.
August 15th, is Julia Child's birthday, and we're celebrating the life and recipes of arguably the most influential cook of the 20th century. Julia passed away in 2004, two days before her 92nd birthday, leaving behind a legacy that she never could have foreseen.
Julia brought more to the table (PUN!) than an expertise that was well earned. Her endless curiosity, sense of fun, humor, and general joie de vivre endeared her to generations of home cooks and chefs. Her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a collaboration with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, has remained on the New York Times bestseller list in its category for nearly fifty years, although it didn't top the list until 2009 when the film Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, was released.
Julia's first cooking show, The French Chef, debuted in 1963 after a demonstration of how to cook an omelette on an episode of a book review show on WGBH in 1962 introduced her to WGBH's audience. Viewers were delighted with the tall lady with the funny voice and a knack for teaching. Julia became the first television cook, winning the first Emmy for an educational program, and The French Chef was the first educational show to be captioned for the hearing impaired. Being unedited, The French Chef didn't just show American housewives how to cook French food; it also showed them that mistakes are not necessarily disasters, giving an authenticity to her cooking that everyday Americans could relate to.
Via Imgur
In 1981, Julia and vintners Robert Graff and Robert Mondavi founded the American Institute of Wine and Food. During the '80s and '90s, Julia starred in numerous cooking programs and published several cookbooks, with her books from the '90s being based on her cooking shows. The Julia Child Foundation, a private charitable foundation, was established in 1995. In 2000, Julia received the French Legion of Honour, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003, and was honored in 2014 in the U.S. Postal Service's "Celebrity Chefs" forever stamp series.
In November 2001, Julia donated her home kitchen, in which many of her television series were filmed, to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The famous kitchen was designed by Julia's husband Paul, who made sure the countertops were made taller to accommodate Julia's height.
All of this, of course, is but a brief overview of Child's busy, brilliant, and celebrated life. Feel free to share your favorite Julia Child recipes, anecdotes, video clips and gifs in the comments.
Via Imgur
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