Julia Child.

Julia Carolyn McWilliams came into the world on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena, California, the eldest of three children. Her father John McWilliams Jr. was a land investor, and her mother Julia Carolyn Weston came from a Massachusetts family with Colonial roots. At 6 feet 2 inches tall, she was the shortest among her siblings: brother John at 6’4 and sister Dorothy at 6’5. She attended Polytechnic School and then the Branson School before graduating from Smith College in 1934. Her early career included working as a copywriter for a furniture company and later volunteering for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, where she helped develop shark repellent and handled classified documents.

After marrying Paul Child in 1946, Julia enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 1949. She was 32 years old and had never learned to cook. Her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, co-authored with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, was published in 1961. In 1963, WGBH aired The French Chef, making her the first television chef to teach cooking techniques. The show ran for 10 seasons and won a Peabody Award. She later starred in other programs like Julia Child & Company and made cameo appearances in films such as We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story 1993 as the voice of Dr. Bleeb. In 2009, Meryl Streep portrayed her in the film Julie & Julia.

Julia married Paul Child, a U.S. State Department official, on August 31, 1946. They lived in Paris, Marseille, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paul, who was a photographer and artist, often assisted her in the kitchen. They had no children. Julia was an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and helped found the American Institute of Wine and Food. In 2001, she moved to a retirement home in Montecito, California. She was survived by her sister Dorothy McWilliams Cousins and several nieces and nephews, including author Alex Prud’homme.

Julia Child demystified French cooking for home cooks and inspired a generation of chefs, including Sara Moulton. Her kitchen was donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, where it was exhibited from 2002 to 2004 and became part of the permanent collection. In 2000, she was awarded the French Legion of Honour, and in 2003, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2014, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in her honor. She was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame. Julia Child is remembered for her joyful approach to cooking and her phrase Bon appétit!