Julia Child would, if alive, celebrate her 100th birthday on Wednesday, Aug. 15, most likely with a glass or two of French wine. Bay Area foodies are celebrating her centennial with everything from special dinner menus to black-and-white video clips of her original TV show, The French Chef.
Chez Panisse will offer Child-influenced menus all week.
It's hard to overstate how much Child influenced average American cooks to branch out from fried chicken and tuna casseroles into more adventurous dishes, and how much fun her shows could be to watch. Catch a brief glimpse of some of her most memorable moments in the YouTube video above, a preview for a 2009 PBS special.
For more about the centennial, see these links:
Foodies to celebrate Julia Child centennial on Aug. 15 (Contra Costa Times) lists some Bay Area restaurants with special centennial celebrations this week.
Celebrating Julia Child’s Centennial: How “The French Chef” Became TV’s First Hit Cooking Show (KQED's "BayArea Bites") has videos of several original shows, photos and recipes.
