by Rachel Simpson

Created on: November 02, 2008

Many people in the U.S. are familiar with Julia Child. Even if we haven't seen her shows, we have heard of her. Her personality and influences in cooking and television are still felt even though she has been gone four years. Standing at 6'2", this remarkable woman has made herself famous for what she taught America about French cooking through her books and television shows; however, she didn't start cooking until her 30's. Surprisingly, Julia Childborn Julia McWilliamsreceived a bachelor's in history, worked with an advertising company, and later with the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) during World War 2 in the Secret Intelligence division. It was while she was here that she met her husband, Paul Child.

After the two were married and the war ended, Paul was assigned to U.S. information services in France. While in France, Julia developed a penchant for French cuisine, which prompted her to enroll in Le Cordon Bleu. While here, she also studied privately with chefs, and created her own informal school with 2 friends, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Their school, L'Ecole de Trois Gourmands (School of the Three Gourmands), taught cooking to American women. The Childs traveled all around France gathering and tasting recipes. Julia's love for French cooking grew during these travels, and she wanted to share that passion back in America. Child, Beck, and Bertholle even wrote a book together with the intention of making its recipes more appealing to the American palate. Paul and Julia Child eventually went back to the states and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The book that the three women wrote was finally published in 1961 and called "Mastering The Art of French Cooking".

A year thereafter, Julia broke into television. After doing a demonstration on how to make an omelette for a book review in Boston, Massachusetts, "The French Chef" debuted on February 11, 1963. It ran for 10 years and was the start of a wonderful television career. She went on to star in 4 other shows, continued writing books, and received honorary doctorates from Harvard and Smith College, and received other honors and awards. Child finally retired in 2001 and moved to Santa Barbara, California after her husband's death. Her kitchen on which many of the shows took place was donated to the Smithsonian. It symbolizes the legacy that she left and the road she paved for those to come.

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