Julia Child: A Chef Career Revisited
By Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@chefschoolreview.com
Chef School Review Columnist
Julia Child was a culinary fixture in America until her death in 2004. Her memoirs, compiled and written by her grandnephew Alex Prud’homme, illustrate Child’s love affair with both her husband and French cuisine.
A Love Triangle with Food as the Third Party
Julia Child’s memoir was recently published and was a product of Child’s grandnephew, Alex Prud’homme. This memoir entitled “My Life in France” is a story of what may have been the biggest turning point in Child’s life. While living in France, Child fell in love with her future husband and with French cooking. The juxtaposition of these two loves is what many critics like about the book.
A Chef Career Born in France
Julia wrote her groundbreaking book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” which is considered required reading for most anyone considering a chef career, during this period in her life. Her memoirs show how she dealt with many rejections from publishers along the way, before finally finding success. The book also gives many accounts of how the cooking and chef culture in France won Child’s heart. She would write, to herself or in letters to her husband, how meticulous the French were about food, and how those holding chef jobs took such pride in their work.
Recommended Reading for Future Chefs
If you’re considering a chef career, you may want to read this memoir as a sort of pep talk. Child’s love of French cuisine and cooking is the same love that drives people to become chefs. She speaks your language, and has motivated many readers to move forward in chef school or in their chef careers.
Source
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, IL. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.
Posted on June 21, 2006 at 2:25 PM
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