In her obituary in 2004, Child was hailed as “the rock that started the avalanche that changed the way America eats.”
The Hollywood Reporter
With food programming now a staple of both TV and TikTok, it’s no surprise that viewers still have healthy appetites for stories about Julia Child, a pioneer in the cooking genre.
Back in 2009, Julie & Julia featured Meryl Streep’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of the chef as she worked on her seminal 1961 cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Premiering in March 2022, just after the launch of Food Network’s competition series The Julia Child Challenge, the first season of HBO Max’s Julia essentially picks up where Nora Ephron’s film left off.
Starring Sarah Lancashire in the title role and David Hyde Pierce as husband Paul Child, Julia focuses on the genesis of her TV series The French Chef amid the cookbook’s popularity. Her groundbreaking show began airing weekly in February 1963 and ran for 10 seasons, earning Child a Peabody Award in 1964 and an Emmy for educational programming in 1966. Its success is even more remarkable considering Child didn’t graduate from famed culinary institution Le Cordon Bleu until she was nearly 40 — and wasn’t on TV until age 50.
“She’s a really singular person who fell in love with something and kept finding ways to continue to be in love with it,” Julia creator Daniel Goldfarb tells THR. In a 2004 obituary for the beloved chef, THR recalled that her “chirping words of encouragement and unpretentious style brought French cuisine to American homes.”
Indeed, Child’s willingness to broadcast flubs and imperfect results helped make the intimidating cuisine more accessible. Julia showrunner Chris Keyser attributes Child’s lasting legacy to not only her knack for recipes but also her zest for life: “It’s not like we all make coq au vin in our kitchens, but she has a message about cooking that applies to how to live your life: full of passion, with a sense of humor, admitting your flaws and not being afraid to move forward.”
This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.