Julia Child (August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American
chef,
author and
television personality. She introduced
French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American mainstream through her many
cookbooks and television programs, notably
The French Chef which premiered in 1963. Her most well-known cookbook is
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961.
Childhood and education
Child was born
Julia Carolyn McWilliams to John and Julia Carolyn ("Caro") McWilliams in
Pasadena, California. The eldest
[The Biography of Julia Child, Noel Riley Fitch, pg. 169, paragraph 2..."Dorothy (at six feet four)" Insert footnote text here]of three children, she had a brother, John III, (1914–2002), and a sister Dorothy D. (1917–2006).
[www.newsmodo.com/display.jsp?id=509084] Child was raised in a well-to-do family where she ate traditional
New England food prepared by the family cook. She attended
Westridge School,
Polytechnic School from fourth grade to ninth grade and then
The Branson School in
Ross, California, which was at the time a boarding school. At six feet, two inches (1.88 m) tall, Child played tennis, golf, and basketball as a child and continued to play sports while attending
Smith College, where she graduated in 1934 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in English
. Following her graduation from college, Child moved to
New York City, where she worked as a
copywriter for the
advertising department of upscale home-furnishing firm
W. & J. Sloane. Returning to California in 1937, she spent the next four years writing for local publications and working in advertising.