It is international women's day and with that we put Julia Child in the spotlight, one of the most influential women in the history of the 20th century.

Her cooking programs are legendary and her voice was one out of a thousand. The French Chef was broadcast on American television for 10 years. Her nonchalant, grotesque and passionate way of cooking is almost unbeatable. Julia Child is a legend!

Julia & Paul a love story

Julia was American and grew up at home with servants and cook. So obviously her parents did not wanted her to follow cooking lessons, they wanted to give her money instead so she could hire a cook. But Julia had finally found the passion in her life and nothing would stand in her way. If only for her husband, who'm she adored, to provide him with delicious French dishes every day.

After Julia was declined to enter the Woman's army, she was 1,88 tall, she met her husband Paul. They were madly in love and married in 1946. After the war they moved to paris where Paul was employed as a diplomat.

La Couronne Julia's inspiration

Her first acquaintance with French cuisine was in the restaurant La Couronne in Rouen Normandy. A city that has been very important for French gastronomy. La Couronne, founded in 1345 as an inn. Today it still is one of the oldest existing restaurants in the world. Julia and Paul visited the restaurant in 1948, it is here that she was so inspired by French cuisine. She was determined to share this with the world!

But La Couronne is certainly not only known for the sake of Julia Child also legends as Salvador Dali, Grace Kelly, John Wayne and many more celebrities have eaten here. The menu is a typical Northern French menu, with delicious fresh local fish. Everything is prepared with the right finesse and acuration. Today they have a Julia Child menu, with exactly the same dishes as when she had ordered: the oysters in a butter parsley sauce and green salad.

Letters to Charlie and Avis

In 1949 Paul writes a letter to his twin brother Charlie:

Julia at the stove is just as fascinating as looking at a percussionist. The oven opens and closes so quickly and you barely see how skillfully she dips the spoon into the pot to taste. Just the perfect drum solo. Then with her bare fingers she takes the cannelloni out of a pan of boiling water and screams: "These are as hot as a stiff cock"

Julia was a passionate and extravagant woman, in 2001 the more than 200 letters between her and her best friend and unofficial literary agent, Avis De Voto, were released. Both housewives around 40 years communicated through letters, they wrote about the most diverse things such as beurre blanc, shalots, the misery of dry herbs to politics, aging, sex ... funny and sincere opinions about life and food. They only met in person many years later.

The Art of French Cooking

Simon Beck, aka Simca was passionate about cooking, her first book that she released together with Louyisette Bertholle was not a success, but after they met Julia they became partners in the kitchen and published the world-famous book The Art of French Cooking. The book was meant for the American housewife to learn how to cook. It was not easy to bring the book to the market first, it was thick, consisted of 7 parts and people were still convinced that the American housewife wanted to put quick and easy dishes on the table. But the book was released and it became a masterpiece!

Julia and Simca

Simca was a francaise and came from a wealthy family who had put the Benedicte liqueur on the market. At a young age she always helped in the kitchen, later she worked as a bookbinder and saleswomen but her passion was cooking. In 1933, when her first marriage ended, she attended Le Cordon Blue. After WW II she started her career as a cook and teacher.

The 3 of them started to give cooking lessons to American woman living in Paris. Years later in 1962 Julia got the chance to start her own cooking program in America. The French chef premiered on February 11, 1963. She received several awards including an Emmy Award. In 1972, the French Chef became the first program that was also released for hearing impaired and deaf people.

Julia's palmares and known quotes

Julia also published several books including:

70s and 80s Julia Child & Company
Julia Child & More Company
Dinner at Julia's
1979 she won the national book award
1981 she founded the American Institute of Wine & Food

Julia Child quotes

“A party without cake is just a meeting”
“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it”
“I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then I just ate”
“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook”

The end

Paul Cushing Child born in New Jersey on January 15, 1902 died at the age of 92 in Massachusetts on May 12, 1994.

Julia Child spent her last years in an elderly home and died on 13 August 2004 at the age of 91 from kidney failure.

"" Dining with your friends and beloved family is certainly one of the innocent pleasures of life, it is soul-satisfying and an eternal memory, we should never lose sight of a well-thought-out meal. "