Homage to Julia Child

Steve and I have been binge watching Max’s TV show Julia the past few days. This made me realize that I wanted to write an homage to Julia Child, my culinary muse!

I remember sitting in front of our little black and white TV in the early 1960s to watch The French Chef with Julia Child. I sat, completely immersed in Julia’s cooking lessons. I was about 15 or 16. And I wanted to cook everything she did.

My mother was happy to let me prepare dinner for our family of three. Mommy did not love to cook. She did love to entertain and did so graciously and deliciously. It was not until my mother passed away, in 1987, that I learned how much my father loved to cook. Apparently I take after both of them. Who knew?

I always knew how much Julia Child influenced me. But it wasn’t until I began watching this new show about Julia, that I understood the true scope of her influence.

Julia Child did so much more than just teach Americans how to cook amazing French food. She also influenced how and what we ate; and what restaurants offered on their menus. She was the very first “Celebrity Chef”!

Julia had the “never give up” attitude. Her idea for a TV cooking show was not well received by networks. But sheer will made her persevere until her show was produced. In the early days she paid for the food and didn’t ask to be paid.

Her spunk and positivity became ingrained in my being. I have always felt that if you believe it, you can achieve it. It was instilled in me at an early age by my parents. But Julia Child embodied that way of thinking and proved it to be true!

I started inviting high school friends to my home for very formal, multi-course dinners, complete with intermezzo to cleanse their palates between courses. My parents were very cooperative and went out to dinner and a movie when I was entertaining just a few friends. Of course they stayed home as chaperones when I had some of my epic parties for lots of classmates. But I always prepared all of the food myself, made everything from scratch, and enjoyed every single minute.

In 1989 Steve and I opened our upscale, off-premise catering business Affairs to Remember Catering in Wellington, Florida. And in March 1991 we attended a catering conference in what would become our favorite city – New Orleans. It was the perfect place to immerse ourselves in the nuances of catering at that time.

It was also at that conference that I got to meet my beloved muse Julia Child! She spoke eloquently at a brunch on the last day of the conference. Other speakers included Paul Prudhomme, Justin Wilson and Emeril Lagasse.

But it was Julia Child and only Julia Child that I had to meet. I bought one of her new books for her to sign and nervously walked over to her table to ask her for her signature. I remember my heart pounding in my chest as I spoke to her. She, in turn, was so warm and seemed genuinely delighted to sign the book. When I thanked her she replied, in her very recognizable voice “You are quite welcome! Happy cooking and Bon Appetit.” I nearly cried. I couldn’t believe that I had actually had a conversation with Julia Child, The French Chef.

And many years later I shared Julia’s influence with my beautiful daughter in love Eve. She became enthralled with her recipes as well. Eve and I decided to prepare Boeuf Bourguignon for Brian and Steve. It was so wonderful to cook with her back then. It’s even better to cook with her now, as she has become quite an accomplished cook!

Julia made recipes come to life and entices you to follow each detail to reach the perfect outcome each and every time.

Perhaps this gives you some perspective as to why I felt it was time I wrote an homage to Julia Child.

Julia Child lit a fire in me that has never diminished.