Bon Appetit! In the birth of television cooking shows came “The French Chef” with Julia Child. My mom watched the show faithfully everyday with a notebook in her lap, a cup of tea on the coffee table, and her eyes and ears glued to the TV. I was about seven years old when the show first aired from Boston, Massachusetts on this day in 1963. I would quietly sit on the couch with mom to watch this 6’2” energetic woman as she guided American wives through French cuisine. “Shhhh!” Mom would say to me. Talking was strictly prohibited during Julia Child’s show.

I liked the show because Julia would say smart little quips such as, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” That’s me in a nutshell. Plus, she would use butter, butter, and more butter. The reason she did that was because, “Fat gives things flavor,” as she would say. Just watching her, you couldn’t help but love this friendly giant of a woman. She enjoyed what she did, and she cooked with true conviction and love.

Mom bonded with Julia because they had some traits in common. Mom was never a great cook in the kitchen until she started watching her cooking shows. Julia was 32 years old when she first started to cook. Once mom started doing that, the whole world seemed to open to her, and she cooked frequently with massive quantities of food. That was hilarious as there were only three of us in our family. Not one pie would she bake, but three jumbo sized pies! Not a small 12 to 16 pound turkey at Thanksgiving, but a 26 to 30 pound turkey! Not a dozen cookies at Christmas but a dozen kinds of cookies! Television cooking shows set my mom into a frenzy! Recipes were in the mail constantly, cookbooks would arrive, and the television shows were on the TV daily. I think my mom took Julia’s quote to heart. “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

There are so many fascinating tidbits about Julia Child that are not well known. Of course, being tall in high school she played on the girls’ basketball team. However, being tall kept her out of the Navy and Army, so she was not able to be a WAVE or in the Women’s Army Corp. She was able to work directly with the Office of Strategic Services where she was instrumental in being a type of spy (top-secret researcher). Later, she helped to develop a shark repellent for the war. About this time, she met her husband, didn’t know how to cook, and managed to get enrolled in the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu while they were in Paris. Afterwards, her dream was to write a cookbook for Americans on French cooking.

Dismayed and disillusioned, Julia and her husband moved back to the United States settling in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. When her cookbook was finally published for a meager sum, Julia was given the opportunity to have her own show. Her first recipe? An omelet cooked on a hot plate. Believe it or not, viewers loved her! PBS picked her up, and The French Chef premiered on February 11, 1963. The show was completely unedited, and Julia was able to demonstrate how to fix a mistake right on air. Her popularity grew by leaps and bounds.

Julia lived to be 91 years old, and she delightfully credited her long life to red meat and gin. She received many awards, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, and at least ten honorary doctorate degrees. Julia Child certainly was a pioneer in television cooking shows. Now we have complete networks dedicated to food and cooking. I’m sure my mom would have been hooked!

I certainly remember Julia when I was seven years old, and I wish she were still with us. However, I have to admit that I am hooked on the cooking shows of today. My poor husband watches along with me, however, I think he’s secretly enjoying them. I hear an “Mmmm!” Coming from him from time to time, or he’ll like a certain chef better than another, and he always wishes that Bobby Flay gets beat. Julia would have said, “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook – try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” So, do you remember Julia Child? Do you have an edition of her cookbook? Who is your favorite TV chef? Until then……Happy Julia Child Day! Have a thrilling yet thoughtful Thursday, be safe, and I love you!