I am in awe of Julia Child. I am in awe of her unscripted casual manner she delivers in an almost tangible and relatable way than most. It’s also, her relaxed friendly presence and charisma that easily commands, just do your best, enjoy the process of cooking, learn from mistakes, but above all have fun while doing it……and Julia knows what she is talking about.
Regardless of your cooking experience, Julia Child’s message about living a fulfilled life to your highest potential is uniquely displayed in how she wrote about her life in her memoir, My Life in France, co-written with her beloved nephew, Alex Prud’homme. Her memoir follows an unfamiliar trajectory of success of how she became the master chef we all know and love.
Jula’s unorthodox story is truly a remarkable one…..one unspoken on so many levels. Here are some lessons and perspectives of how she lived life and how we can learn from her.
Be Open to the Possibilities
Coming from a generation that experienced the Great Depression and WWII, Julia ventured out with a positive mindset to forge her way through a tuff environment. Julia didn’t think twice about signing up for Women’s Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES) and Women’s Army Corps (WAC’s), although she was rejected due to her height.
Knowing We Are Always More Capable
One of many unique appeals of Julia resides in her sharp vision and discipline to follow her passions. When Julia and her husband Paul moved to France, she could not speak one word in French. At first, she struggled immensely and naturally became frustrated with her inability to speak French fluently. Yet, despite this language obstacle, she remained determined to speak French well. Her persistence and determination landed her in six hours’ French classes each week, which she was more than happy to take.
There will always be a path on everyone’s journey that will require figuring out the how. How to get where we want to go. How to get what we much desire. The how is the part that takes persistence, determination, commitment, and effort. The how is never easy. But it’s a factor that sets you apart.
Your Life’s Purpose May Take Years to Come to Fruition
After completing Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, Julia, along with her two like-minded friends (Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle) used their taste making skills and opened an informal cooking school for American women called L’école des Trois Gourmandes, “The School of the Three Food Lovers.” Uncertain of their cooking school’s future, Julia continued to follow her entrepreneurial spirit with determination and focus.
Eight years later, after many failures, obstacles, rewrites and setbacks, the duo finally publish “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” with Alfred A. Knopf. The massive book of retested recipes’ was written for anyone to cook French cuisine successfully….and this in itself was no small feat.
The book quickly became a best-seller. Hardly surprising……when you are a true force in life nothing can hold you back.
Candor, Courage, Eloquence and Mishaps
Some of my happiest life moments is witnessing someone polar opposite of myself and catching a brief reflection of myself within them…..only to realize that person is just like me. These odd dualities comfort me with unexpected reassurance to accept my own imperfections. After all, there’s a certain soulfulness and unbridled beauty in handling unfortunate imperfections and unexpected mistakes with grace only to turn it around and assume the best of it.
Never one to hide behind the intricacies of cooking while filming live, Julia attempts to flip a potato pancake but instead accidently flips it all over the stove. She did not apologize. Instead, she politely states, in a matter of fact manner, that she didn’t flip the pancake because “I didn’t have the courage to do it the way I should have.” She then casually reassembles the pancake with a spatula to mash it back together. She covers the reassembled pancake with cheese and says she will pretend it was supposed to be a baked potato dish instead. After all, it takes assured confidence to look casual while fixing a mistake in front of millions.
I admit, I would be ecstatic and honored to eat anything cooked and created by Julia….even the reassembled mashed potato pancake.
On Hard Work and Success
One simple (not easy) way to learn how to cook well is having the willingness and discipline to practice it again and again. It’s the mundane details of showing up and practicing that will set you apart, make you look your best, and will speak volumes of who you are. This is how Julia, with her sincere ingenuity, shaped the world of cooking as a host on “The French Chef” which ran for 10 years.
Only Do You
Never one to waste moments trying to be a certain persona of someone else to be liked- they are all taken anyway- Julia only did Julia. She knew that taking control of her cooking career was about being unflinchingly and uncompromisingly honest with others without sacrificing an iota of authenticity. By being herself, she introduced French cooking to Americans in a such a manner that was enticing and exciting.
The Beautiful Everyday Ordinary
Julia appreciated family and friends and surrounded herself with good people. She was known for hand writing her own thank you notes to those she met or interviewed her. It has been told she even surprised many of her interviewers’ years later by recognizing and acknowledging them.
Julia understood the mark of success in life isn’t fame or money, but how one conducts themselves and treats others at the peak of their success. “Remember, no one’s more important than people! In other words, friendship is the most important thing- not career or housework, or one’s fatigue- and it needs to be tended and nurtured. “
Having immersed herself in the art of cooking, Julia has been heralded as one of the most influential forces in the culinary world. Undoubtedly, she had an unforgettable impact on everyone. She regarded food as a joyful part of her life. Her unyielding devotion and passion for cooking, along with her cooking shows, recipes, and books, were all marinated in her touching narrative which happens to be the ultimate tribute to her life.
“File:Julia Child at KUHT.jpg”by TejasDiscipulus2 is licensed under CC0 1.0
Julia Child’s Timeline
Aug. 15, 1912:
Julia Carolyn McWilliams, born in Pasadena, Calif
1934:
Graduates from Smith College with a bachelor’s in English. works as a writer and copywriter
1941:
Julia joins the Office of Strategic Services.
1944:
Julia marries fellow OSS employee Paul Cushing Child.
1948:
Paul’s job with the U.S. Information Agency moves them to Paris where he takes Julia to a French restaurant, La Couronne, that serves classical French cuisine. This sparks Julia’s passion for French cooking and soon after she attends Cordon Bleu cooking school.
1951:
Julia, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholln open an informal cooking school for American women called L’école des Trois Gourmandes, “The School of the Three Food Lovers.”
1961:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published with Alfred A. Knopf.
Paul retired and they settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts
1962:
Julia appears on a TV show in Cambridge, Massachusetts to discuss her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and demonstrates to the audience how to cook an omelet.
1963:
The French Chef cooking show debuts and became a weekly half-hour cooking show on an educational TV station (WHBH) in Boston
1965:
Julia was recognized with a Peabody Award
1966:
Julia was recognized with an Emmy Award
1981:
The American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF) was established by Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, Richard Graff and others
1993:
Julia became the first woman elected to the Culinary Institute Hall of Fame
Julia received an honorary doctorate from Harvard University
1994:
Paul Child died.
1995:
In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs was published
1996:
Baking with Julia was published
1998:
Julia’s Delicious Little Dinners was published
1999:
Julia’s Casual Dinnerswas published
2000:
Julia wins the French Legion of Honor Award
2001:
Julia moves to Montecito, California to oversee the opening of Julia’s Kitchen, a restaurant named after her in Napa, California
Child received the Legion of Honor from the French government
2002:
Julia donated her kitchen from her Cambridge home to the Smithsonian Institution where it is an exhibit at the National Museum of American History.
2003:
Received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W Bush.
Aug. 13, 2004:
Dies at her home with her cats in Santa Barbara, Calif from kidney failure
2006:
Julia’s autobiography, My Life in France, was published post humously with her great nephew, Alex Prud’homme.
“Julia Child’s kitchen at smithsonian” by mealmakeovermoms is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
I am so grateful Julia expressed and shared her creativity in the art of cooking and hope you are as in awe and inspired by her as I am. Perhaps, the magic of Julia Child’s life and recipes await you in your cooking pursuits.
XOXO JC
images, Julia Child by Lynn Gilbert, 1978