How Julia Child Became More Than A Chef
Growing up, I was a step behind on Julia Child. My mother didn’t make the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her original shows were on PBS before I was watching PBS. It took until adulthood to discover her, and by the time I could have met her, the opportunity was gone.
But I did watch her later programs, buy her other cookbooks - The Way To Cook is among my favorites - and I benefited from friends like Dorie Greenspan who knew her well.
Now, it seems like Julia has been transformed from simply a culinary figure into something far bigger. You can argue she was always good material, as with the classic SNL skit, or Julie Powell’s blog, which became a book and then the movie, Julie & Julia.
But in 2022, she’s a full out entertainment opportunity. There is Julia, the documentary, and Julia, the HBO dramatic series. There is a podcast, Inside Julia’s Kitchen. There is a competitive cooking contest on the Food Netwotk, The Julia Child Challenge.
In her newsletter last week, Dorie shared her memories of working with Julia. She invited her Facebook followers to post their memories of Julia, and the stories flooded in. Many people wrote about Julia’s graciousness and humor and patience meeting her starstruck fans.
This leaves me with a couple of questions.
Would Julia have liked it?
Simply from the Julia we saw on screen, I have the sense that she would have enjoyed some of the fuss. After all, she was marketing herself as well as her skills.
She was a ham on screen, not in an eye rolling way, but she was certainly a happy self-promoter. Dorie thinks she would have found all this attention “jolly.”
I sense Julia would have liked knowing that recipes written six decades ago still had relevance for today’s cooks.
And, it’s a real compliment to have been portrayed by Meryl Streep in what turned out to be Nora Ephron’s last film (we’ll see how English actress Sarah Lancashire will do as Julia).
Likewise, the Julia documentary is well worth your time. It contains fascinating footage about the early days of food television and is a great way for people to learn the basics of what she achieved.
But I’ve read some criticism about the Food Network effort, which some say reduces Julia to game show level.
No matter the positive intent of using Julia as a springboard for the competition, there are other places to find top quality information about food.
And that brings me to my next question.
Which food figures also deserve attention?
Think of all the documentaries you’ve watched and books you’ve read about American history. They seem to focus on a small collection of people and topics: Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and World War II. British productions, meanwhile, focus endlessly on the royal family, Churchill - and World War II.
Women have so far to go before they will ever gain the status of the men that are repeatedly profiled. And the entertainment world always has a tendency to repeat what has been a success. Julia is a natural subject because her fans will tune into anything about her. .
But, the culinary world is full of fascinating, diverse figures. I would love to see in-depth dramatic treatment of Leah Chase, for instance, or Joyce Chen, or Cecilia Chiang, or Lena Richard.
There are so many people from varied backgrounds whose lives and accomplishments are worth amplifying and celebrating along with Julia.
She was happy to share the screen with her fellow chefs. I hope there will be room down the road for more culinary notables to get Julia-type attention, too.
We Have A Winner
I’m delighted that CulinaryWoman Community member Todd Nissen has won the latest giveaway.
Todd is part of The Vella Group, providing news media consulting, writing and other services to nonprofits. I met him when he was Reuters Detroit bureau chief, and Todd spent 20 years in corporate communications at Ford Motor Company.
His time at Ford included serving as director of the Ford Volunteer Corps and global communications for the Ford Motor Company Fund.
Congratulations to Todd! I will be delivering his book in person. Meanwhile, if you would like to be eligible for future drawings, please upgrade to a paid subscription. I have lots of interesting giveaways lined up - plus you will support my journalism.
A Big Week For Zingerman’s - And Satisfaction Guaranteed
Last Tuesday was quite a day. It marked the 40th anniversary of Zingerman’s Deli.
I was honored to emcee a celebration that featured co-founders Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw plus Deli managing partner Grace Singleton.
You can read an interview I did with Paul and Ari in the current Deli newsletter.
Earlier that day, I appeared on NPR’s Here & Now, where I talked to Jane Clayson about my book and Zingerman’s. It was so nice to be back on the show where I worked in 2016.
I was also tickled by the story that Emily Blumberg wrote for the Michigan Daily. I mentor Daily students, and I thought Emily asked great questions and did a nice job with her research.
This wonderful review of the book appeared in the Washington Free Beacon. Cole Carnick definitely knows delis.
This Tuesday, I will be appearing by Zoom with Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor. And I’m looking forward to speaking in person at 2 Dandelions Bookshop in Brighton, Mich., on Thursday.
Remember that if you purchase my book via Bookshop.org, I am making a donation to World Central Kitchen. I sent them the first book sale proceeds this weekend.
They are doing a remarkable, heart-stopping job feeding people from Ukraine at points there and in surrounding countries.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
You can follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok @culinarywoman. My email address is CulinaryWoman at gmail dot com for interview requests or feedback.
I am happy to take about my book to groups via Zoom or in person in front of Covid-safe audiences.
Unfortunately, my schedule right now doesn’t allow for personal invitations beyond my circle of friends, but I hope you will attend my events.
There are mixed signals about the pandemic, so stay on the safe side. Enjoy your week and see you next Sunday!