August 8th, 2009
Before you watch the new Sony Pictures film about Julia Child, Julie and Julia, take a few step backward and read below on how she became the legend that she is.
According to Biography Channel, Popular TV chef and author Julia Child was born Julia McWilliams, on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena, California. The eldest of three children, Julia was educated at San Francisco’s elite Katherine Branson School for Girls, where (at a towering height of 6 feet, 2 inches) she was the tallest student in her class. In 1930, she enrolled at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Upon her graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked in the advertising department of the prestigious home furnishings company W&J Sloane.
In 1941, at the onset of World War II, Julia moved to Washington, D.C., where she volunteered as a research assistant for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a newly formed government intelligence agency. She and her colleagues were sent on assignment to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), an island off the coast of India. In her position, Julia played a key role in the communication of top secret documents between U.S. government officials and their intelligence officers. In 1945, she was sent to China, where she began a relationship with fellow OSS employee Paul Child. Following the end of World War II, the couple returned to America and were married.
In 1948, when Paul was reassigned to the U.S. Information Service at the American Embassy in Paris, the Childs moved to France. While there, Julia developed a penchant for French cuisine and attended the world-famous Cordon Bleu cooking school. Following her six-month training (which included private lessons with master chef Max Bugnard), Julia banded with fellow Cordon Bleu students Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle to form the cooking school L’Ecole de Trois Gourmandes (The School of the Three Gourmands). With a goal of adapting sophisticated French cuisine for mainstream Americans, the trio collaborated on a two-volume cookbook titled Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). Published in the U.S., the 800-page book was considered a groundbreaking work and has since become a standard guide for the culinary community.
Then living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Julia promoted her book on the Boston public broadcasting station. Displaying her trademark forthright manner and hearty humor, she prepared an omelet on air. The public’s response was so enthusiastic that she was invited back to tape her own series on cookery for the network. Premiering on WGBH in 1962, The French Chef TV series, like Mastering the Art of French Cooking, succeeded in changing the way Americans related to food, while also establishing Julia as a local celebrity. Shortly thereafter, The French Chef was syndicated to 96 stations throughout America. For her efforts, Julia received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 1964 followed by an Emmy Award in 1966.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Julia made regular appearances on the ABC morning show Good Morning, America. Her other endeavors included the television programs Julia Child and Company (1978), Julia Child and More Company (1980), and Dinner at Julia’s (1983), as well as a slew of bestselling cookbooks that covered every aspect of culinary knowledge.
See below for Julia Child must reads:
January 22nd, 2009
Classic Chef Ramsay Moment.
Three words: “You French Pig!”
January 21st, 2009
This is actually the worst restaurant i’ve seen on T.V. - thank god for Chef Ramsay.
November 7th, 2008
Rachael Ray attends her signing of ‘Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book’ at Barnes & Noble November 6, 2008 in New York City. This new book features her all time best 30 Minutes Meal Recipes, her biggest published work yet.
The recipes are broken down to individual segments with symbols and layman terms, very easy to follow and simple to put together, that’s why she’s the queen of what she does. On my list of recipes to try are Jaw-Droppingly Delicious Asparagus-Penne, Cobb Salad Turkey Burgers and Oven Fries, Mighty Migas, and Ginger Flank Steak with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Sesame Soy Green Beans and Peppers. Two thumbs up for our girl, Rachel.
Ray is hosting a contest on her site to win a copy of this new book. Click Here to enter before 11/10.
August 30th, 2008
We all love food shows, but there’s no better mix than a good food show and a hot host. Here is our top choice for Food Show Hottie.
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Rachel Ray
This 30 Minutes Meal hottie got a great smile and knows how to pull a quicky, meal that is. She’s a girl next door who knows how to take on the likes of Oprah and Martha Stewart. This iconic talk show host, magazine mogul, iron chef winner is hotter than hot.
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Ingrid Hoffman
Muy Caliente host of Simply Delicioso can cha cha us anytime. She knows how to spice up the television. Her cooking style is not only appealing to watch, but she really knows how to use her hands.
Giada De Laurentiis
Killer rack and Natalie Portman-esque beauty lands her at #3. This host of Everyday Italian is just hot like fire. A best-seller author, sensational TV personality and charismatic chef, Giada knows how to juggle it out. Who can resist a blossoming star like her?
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Sandra Lee
There is nothing desperate about this housewife. This semi-homemade host drops it like it’t hot at Number 2. Her charming All American looks and bouncy blonde hair made millions of viewers glued to the screen. It’s no wonder her show is one of the most popular shows in Food Network.
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Padma Lakshmi
Sexy doesn’t come close to describe this Top Chef host. Lakshmi is our top pick for Hottest Food Show Host Hottie. This model, author, chef and all around spokesmodel knows how to keep it sexy all day everyday. Even her scar on her arm looks good. She knows how to work anything and Top Chef is a Top Show because of Padma.
October 3rd, 2007
Top Chef really pulls all their guns this season’s finale. Here’s some info on the famous guest chefs.
Michelle Bernstein (Casey’s Sous Chef)
After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Bernstein’s talent was quickly recognized when she began working with several award-winning restaurants including Red Fish Grill, the Strand and Tantra in Miami Beach. She also trained with renowned chef Jean Louis Palladin, in Washington D.C., and sharpened her culinary skills at Alison on Dominick and Le Bernardin in New York.
Bernstein received significant critical acclaim as the chef at Azul in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami where she became a powerful force in the city’s burgeoning culinary movement. For two years, Bernstein co-hosted The Food Network’s “Melting Pot,” a show that presented the traditions, stories and recipes of her Latin background. She was also a competitor on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” series beating out Bobby Flay.
Recently, Chef Bernstein appeared on “The Today Show” preparing her signature dishes alongside Al Roker. She has been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appéti for one of the 50 best dishes in the world, Elle, Redbook, Gourmet and Food & Wine for one of the best hotel restaurants in the country. In 2004, Chef Bernstein was nominated by The James Beard Foundation - the nation’s premier honors for culinary professionals - in the coveted “Best Chefs in America: Southeast Region” category. Chef Bernstein was recently given a Doctorate in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University; she was given the Philanthropic award of South Florida and the Glass Ceiling Award from the Jewish Federation.
Todd English (Dale’s Sous Chef)
William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television star based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. He is best known for his cooking show, Cooking With Todd English, which appears on public television and is produced by Connecticut Public Television; and for his flagship restaurant, Olives, located in Charlestown, Massachusetts. As of 2007, Todd stars in Food Trip with Todd English, a half-hour program produced by WGBH that debuted in January 2007. On Food Trip, Todd travels to domestic and international locations (Tokyo, Nantucket, New York City, Boston, Phoenix, and Tucson) to explore different regional dishes and culinary traditions.
He owns the world famous Olive and Fig Restaurants.
Rocco Dispirito (Hung’s Sous Chef)
Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1966) is an American chef based in New York City. Born in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, he is a 1986 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and a 1990 graduate of Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in business. DiSpirito is known for his Italian-American cuisine and his innovative fusion cooking; his mother, Nicolina, is known for her Italian meatballs.
DiSpirito is primarily known as a celebrity chef and a prominent cookbook author.
Rocco lived in New York to study under great chefs Charlie Palmer, David Bouley, Gilbert Le Coze, and Gary Kunz. Kunz later included Rocco in the opening team of the famous Lespinasse restaurant.
In 1995, Rocco opened Dava Restaurant in midtown Manhattan. The restaurant closed within 6 months despite many favorable reviews. In 1997, Rocco opened Union Pacific in New York City’s Gramercy Park. His innovative cooking quickly earned him 3 stars from the New York Times. Union Pacific closed in late 2004, supposedly from a mutual agreement between Rocco and owners.

