Julia Child

Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I
Julia Child
by Julia Child
Julia Child introduced Americans to French cuisine and to this day she remains a hugely influtential force behind the aspirations and kitchen stoves of aspiring amateur cooks all over the world. Her original cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a unanimous must-have in anyone's cookbook library. $39.95.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume II
Julia Child
Nine years in the works, and without the assistance of Louisette Bertholle, this volume is more a baker’s book. Besides a selection of French cakes, there is a real labour of love: Julia’s translation of French bread for North American home bakers. Line drawings. $90.00 hardcover, $42.00 softcover.

The French Chef
Julia Child
Julia Child’s first book on her own accompanied her first television series which began airing in February, 1963. With the Kennedys and their French chef in the White House, there was a captive audience for Julia’s classic French cooking from bouillabaisse to millefeuilles. Black and white photos of Julia in action. Softcover, 424 pp. $21.95.

The Way to Cook
Julia Child
The most American of all of Julia child’s book, this was the last book she wrote on her own. It stands with The Joy of Cooking ($39.99) and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook ($37.95) as one of the great general reference cookbooks. Unlike Joy and Fannie, The Way to Cook has much better layout and dozens of step-by-step colour photos.
511 pp. $90.00 hardcover, $59.95 softcover.

Jacques and Julia Cook at Home
Julia Child and Jacques Pepin
Receive two, two, two opinions for the price of one in this collaboration between a French chef who made his name in America and an American who made her name by popularizing French cooking in the US. Though they disagree usually mildly--on many topics, their mutual respect and affection lights up the whole book. Colour photos. Hardcover, 448 pp. $65.00.

Baking with Julia
Dorie Greenspan
This book accompanied the Public Broadcasting Service series of the same name. Hosted by Julia Child, each program demonstrated different techniques while introducing a who’s who of bakers across the continent Gale Gand, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Beatrice Ojakangas, Marion Cunningham, Nick Malgieri… Colour, black and white photos. Hardcover, 481 pp. $49.95.

My Life in France
Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme
Published posthumously, My Life in France is a memoir by collaboration between Julia Child and her husband’s great nephew. Though Alex Prud’homme is the writer, it is Julia’s trill that rings out from the pages. From her fateful meeting with Paul Child in WWII China to the culinary awakening that turned her from a woman at loose ends to a cultural icon, Julia lived a life very much guided by her natural curiosity. This book , along with Julie & Julia, is the basis of the movie of the same name. Black and white photos. Softcover, 368 pp. $18.95.

Read a review of My Life in France by The Cookbook Store's Jennifer Grange.

Kitchen Wisdom
Julia Child
Inspired by Julia's own notebooks, "trials, errors and remedies". A lovely compendium of techniques and conversation; you can almost hear her voice over your shoulder guiding you to perfection, or near perfection! Hardcover, 144 pp. $25.95.

Our Memories of Julia 1912 - 2004

Alison Fryer with the legendary Julia Child.

Julia Child, the culinary touchstone for so many of us, died in her sleep on Thursday, August 12th, 2004 three days before her 92nd birthday.

Her achievements are well-known: the books beginning with Mastering the Art of French Cooking that enabled legions of home cooks to prepare dishes previously left to chefs: her tireless promotion of French and American food, including co-founding the American Institute of Food and Wine. Beyond the food world, she was an enthusiastic supporter of liberal causes.

Although she did not have children of her own, she always had time for younger member of the food community - and at her age younger meant anyone form Jacques Pepin, Alice Waters, Patricia Wells on down to the lowliest line cook toiling in an unsung restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

We were honoured to host book signings with Julia four times over the course of a decade. The first was on a rather misty autumn morning: the lineup of eager fans began before six. Our manager, Alison accompanied Julia the two blocks from her hotel at the other end of the street to our shop. For Alison it was as though she were walking with royalty, and in a way she was.

Heads turned, there were whispers as passersby realized with whom they were sharing the sidewalk. As the pair approached the waiting fans, the whispers rose to a crescendo a ripple moved down, then back up the line as Julia passed. Someone started to clap, the rest joined it.

Unlike many other celebrities whose on screen persona is at great remove from their true selves, with Julia what you saw was what she was. She was an authentic person. She was an endlessly patient person, always kind with her fans whether they became tongue-tied or turned into blithering idiots in her presence. No matter how long the lineup, Julia was always willing to pose for a picture with anyone bearing her books. If books were falling apart and splashed upon the more she loved it.

Even after retreating to a retirement community in Santa Barbara, Julia stayed involved, curious to the end. Her assistant, quoted in the New York Times, summed it up best: "She lived until she died."

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