Julia Child - The Woman
1912 - 2004

Julia Carolyn McWilliams was born in Pasadena, California, on August 15, 1912 into a wealthy, aristocratic family. Julia was the first born and known as a wild child. While in polytechnic school, she wrote in her diary that she was, "like no one else," the possessor of "unique spiritual gifts" and "meant for something" special.

Her mother had gone to Smith College so Julia also attended Smith and graduated with vague aspirations of becoming a writer, but could not seem to find a focus. She says in her diary: "I am sadly an ordinary person . . . with talents I do not use."

Many would say that at 6'2" tall with her unique reedy voice she was far from ordinary. Further, after Pearl Harbor she got a job with America's secret intelligence in Washington D.C. Later, she volunteered to go to the Near East, and in March 1944, she set sail for Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, to work for the OSS office in the ancient city of Kandy. Julia met Paul Cushing Child on this trip.Paul was a ladies man, worldly, a decade older than she and several inches shorter. He was a gourmet and had lived in Paris some of his life, so naturally Julia stated she was also a Gourmet although she really had no clue when it came to cooking.

Despite the fact, it wasn't at first sight, very slowly and over time, the two quietly fell in love. In the summer of 1946, they traveled across the country together, accompanied by eight bottles of whiskey, a bottle of gin and a bottle of mixed martinis. They married that September.

Because of their social status, her family had a number of cooks throughout Julia's childhood, who did all the culinary work, and Julia had never learned to cook. She was determined to do so, and when Paul accepted a government post in Paris, Julia's real education began.

She found a new love of French food, and savored every bite from all the restaurants. Julia undertook a real study of French cuisine, and began her formal training at the Cordon Bleu, a well-known cooking school in Paris, the only woman in her class. Julia spent all her time in the kitchen, and would prepare elaborate meals, which her husband Paul would critique. The owner of the Cordon Bleu thought she lacked natural cooking ability but had extraordinary stamina.

From the day she enrolled in the École du Cordon Bleu in 1949 until 1999, with her last book and television show, Julia Child transformed the way that Americans cook, eat and think about food. She starred in eight television series and published 11 books. She founded the American Institute of Wine and Food, an educational center devoted to the culinary arts. In 1993 Harvard University granted Julia an honorary doctorate.

Julia Child died just two days before her 92nd birthday, on August 13, 2004, surrounded by her family and friends. The nation mourned her passing, still remembers her with affection and fondness. Not simply for her contribution to American cooking, but for who she was - a deeply generous person, open to experience, eager to learn and to teach. The young and restless woman who once mourned her lack of talent became an American icon, and in countless kitchens across the country and around the world, her spirit still lives on.

Bon Appetit!

Glenda Glayzer