Julia Child Would Have Been 100 Today

Google Doodle celebrates Julia Child

Julia Child would have been 100 years old today. The iconic chef didn't even begin to cook until she was 32, until that time she said, "I just ate." She brought accessibility to international cuisine that the American public hadn't known before her. She taught us to pick up a knife and show that chicken who's boss. And famously, if it falls on the floor, pick it up, rinse it off, and continue on. We didn't have to be perfect. Allowance for error was completely acceptable.

Her kitchen. Oh how I love her kitchen, was designed by her husband to accommodate her 6'2" stature, and also served as the set for her famous PBS cooking shows. A true pioneer of Food Network. Ahhh, thank you Julia. Anyway, when she moved herself into a retirement community in 2001, she donated her house and office to Smith College (which later sold the house). But she donated her lovely kitchen to the National Museum of American History where it is now on display. Hmmm, jotting down another thing to add to the bucket list.

Julia Child's kitchen via

Published by Knopf in 1961, her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking was an instant best seller. And still in print. Lauded for its attention to detail and illustrations, again, made fine French cooking accessible. The book, and Julia herself, was the inspiration for Julie Powell's "The Julie/Julia Project" in 2002. The Julie/Julia Project was a blog in which Powell cooked her way through every recipe in Mastering The Art of French Cooking in one year. The stunt resulted in a book deal which was published in 2005 titled Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen. It was a bestseller. Powell's blog and book, and Child's own memoir resulted in a 2009 film Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep portraying Child.

Julia Child was unimpressed by Powell's blog, and she didn't want to endorse it.

My favorite tribute to the Queen of French Cuisine is this video called Julia Child Remixed by John D. Boswell for PBS Digital Studios.


Thanks a billion for stopping by.
Talk to you soon,
Angela