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Julia Carolyn (Nee McWilliams) Child
Personal Information
Born: 1912
Died: 2004
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
Smith College BA History 1934; Le Cordon Bleu
""Everybody is overreacting. If fear of food continues, it will be the death of gastronomy in the United States. Fortunately, the French don't suffer from the same hysteria we do. We should enjoy food & have fun. Itis one of the simplest & nicest pleasures in life." (Wikipedia)*she ended her last book, "My Life In France" with. . .thinking back on it now reminds that the pleasures of the table, & of life, are infinite-toujours bon appetit!" (Wikipedia)*"In this line of work. . . you keep right on till you're through. Retired people are boring." (biography.com)*"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate." (biography,com)*"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." (biography.com)*"People who love to eat are always the best people." (the kitchen)*"With enough butter, anything is good." (the kitchen)*"I enjoy cooking with wine. sometimes I even put it in the food." (the kitchen)"
— Julia Carolyn (Nee McWilliams) Child
Professional Life
Field of Study: Food Sciences
Institution/Corporation: PBS; American Institute of Wine & Food; The Julia Child Foundation
Degrees & Memberships: 10 Honorary Degrees including: Harvard University, Johnson & Wales University (1995), Smith College, Brown University (2000), Boston University (1976), Bates College, & Rutgers University; Member: Le Cercle des Gormettes, American Academy iof Arts & Sciences (2000)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service; 2000 Knight of France's Legion of Honor; 2003 US Presidential Medfal of Freedom; 2007 National Women's Hall of Fame; 1965 Peabody Award for Personal Award for The French Chef; 1966 Emmy for Achievements in Educational Television-Individual for The French Chef; 1980 US National Book Awards for Current Interest (Hardcover) for Julia Child & More Company; 1996 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show Host for In Julia's Kitchen With Master Chefs; 2001 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show Host for Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home; 1993 Culinary Institute Hall of Fame
Achievements: American chef, author, and television personality; recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963; 1963 built a home near Plascassier in Provence on property belonging to her co-author Simone Beck & named it La Pitchoune, returning the home to Beck's family after Beck's death; had 14 cooking shows on TV from 1963-2000 & was a regular on Good Morning, America; was an AIDS activist after a close friend succumbed to the disease
maternal grandfather was Byron Curtis Weston
mother was heiress of Weston Paper Co.
attended boarding school for high school
played tennis, golf & basketball
hoped to be a novelist of magazine writer after college
didn't learn to cook until she met her future husband & they married in 1946
joined OSS (Office of Strategic Services & forerunner of CIA) in 1942 after she was rejected from the WACs (Women's Army Corps) & US Navy's WAVES for being too tall(was 6'2")
worked as a top-secret researcher for OSS head General William J. Donovan
her complete OSS file was declassified in 2008 & is available on line
her husband Paul worked for OSS & then transferred to the Foreign Service US Information Agency in 1948 & was assigned to Paris
attended Le Cordon bleu while her husband worked
diagnised with breast cancer in mid-1960s & had a mastectomy in 1968
her husband designed her kitchen to accommodate for her height & it was the setting for 3 of her TV shows
her kitchen is on dispolay at the Smothsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC & her copper pots & pans were added to the display in 2009
in 2001 she moved to an assisted living home in California & donated her Massachusetts home & office to Smith college
the College later sold the home & office & used the money to erect a campus center named after her
there is a hybrid, butter colored rose named after her
appeared on a 2014 US Postage stamp as part of the "Celebrity Chefs Forever" series
initially was paid $50 per episode of The French Chef
carried a large canvas satchel she called the "sacrd bag" that contained cooking utensils she couldn't live without like her pastry cutting wheel, her favorite flour scoop, & her knives among other things & only trusted a few people with its care
was a member of the Grass Cops in college charged with keeping people off the lawns on campus
was fired from her first job doing secretarial duties at W. J. Sloane (a home furnishings company) for insubordination over a mix-up with a document
loved French onion soup & it was her last meal
loved butter & 753 pounds of it were used on her show "Baking With Julia"
once attributed her longevity to "red meat & gin"
took 9 years to perfect the recipes in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" & getting it published