Today marks the 106th birthday of the legendary Julia Child, who introduced French cuisine to American cooks in 1963 with WGBH’s pioneering television series, The French Chef. In honor of this special day, here is a collection of goodies to celebrate this iconic TV personality who enjoyed cooking with wine, and sometimes even put it in the food.
An American In Paris
Julia Child was born Julia McWilliams in Pasadena, California, on Aug. 15, 1912. She married her husband, Paul Child, in 1946. Paul joined the United States Information Agency and was assigned to the US Embassy in Paris in 1949.
While in Paris with her husband, Julia enrolled at le Cordon Bleu, where she attended French cooking classes. Along with two French friends, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, she co-wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961, which aimed to make French cooking accessible to Americans.
Learn more about the life of Julia Child
"People who love to eat are always the best people."
Cook Like Julia
From delicious chocolate mousse to Homard Gratiné Au Fromage (stuffed broiled lobsters), we pulled together a collection of Julia's recipes for your latest kitchen adventure. Don't be intimidated. As Julia once said, "the only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude."
12 Julia Child recipes from WGBH Food
The French Chef
WGBH put The French Chef on the air on Feb. 11, 1963, and Julia Child became public television’s first and most enduring star. Audiences fell in love with her wavering voice, fondness for wine and butter, eagerness to hack away with a knife, and customary closing phrase, "Bon appétit." The series ran for 10 years.
WGBH Passport recently added 12 episodes of The French Chef to its television offerings, with dozens more coming in early September. Now chefs of all ages and abilities can share Julia’s love of authentic French food and learn to cook some of her most loved dishes from her original series on Public Television.
Watch episodes of The French Chef| Learn more about WGBH Passport
"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."
Happy Birthday, Julia!
Let's all raise our knives in honor of a legend. Here's to you, Julia... you truly are one of a kind.
Bon appétit!
Do you have a great caption for this photo? Head over to our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages and submit yours. You could win a pair of tickets to the 2018 Taste of WGBH Food & Wine Festival's Food Fight or Brunch Bar.
