The French Chef in America: Julia Child's Second Act

(Paperback)

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The enchanting story of Julia Child's years as TV personality and beloved cookbook author--a sequel in spirit to My Life in France--by her great-nephew Julia Child is synonymous with French cooking, but her legacy runs much deeper. Now, her great-nephew and My Life in France coauthor vividly recounts the myriad ways in which she profoundly shaped how we eat today. He shows us Child in the aftermath of the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, suddenly finding herself America's first lady of French food and under considerable pressure to embrace her new mantle. We see her dealing with difficult colleagues and the challenges of fame, ultimately using her newfound celebrity to create what would become a totally new type of food television. Every bit as entertaining, inspiring, and delectable as My Life in France, The French Chef in America uncovers Julia Child beyond her "French chef" persona and reveals her second act to have been as groundbreaking and adventurous as her first.

Reviews

Joyous . . . poignant. . . . There was no one quite like Julia Child, who changed the world with her wit and whisks. Minneapolis Star Tribune

Inspiring and engaging. . . . Its impossible not to love Julia Child. The Wall Street Journal

Childs voice comes through clearly in this affectionate account of the second half of her long career. Richmond Times-Dispatch

[An] intricately and intriguingly detailed biography of [Prudhommes] delicious, good-naturedly opinionated great-aunt, Julia Child. Mimi Sheraton, The Daily Beast

[The French Chef in America] highlights flavors and philosophies that fueled [Julia Childs] style of cooking, the legacy of which would go on to change and shape the way we eat today. Nylon

A warm, nuanced celebration of Our Lady of the Ladle . . . . [Prudhomme] delights with behind-the-scenes details of Childs later life in the U.S. after years in France. Through extensive conversations with many who worked with Child and those shes inspired, including Emeril Lagasse and Sara Moulton, Prudhomme explores [Childs story]. . . . With Prudhommess gentle hand, readers see the truth of Child behind her playful persona. Publishers Weekly

The French Chef in America shows us a newly famous Child, who at times struggles with her celebrity but manages nonetheless to define a new kind of food television and secure her own enduring legacy. Smithsonian magazine

Delightful. . . . Family photos of the personality-driven star add an intimate quality. Tasting Table

Prudhomme deftly chronicles the years after Julia Child left France. . . . As Childs grandnephew, Prudhomme is able to provide an intimate portrait of Childs life by sharing photographs, excerpts of key letters and daily journals, and personal memories. He dishes up the story of Childs life . . . in a manner as engaging as Julia Child herself and as delicious as one of her recipes. Booklist

Author Bio

ALEX PRUD'HOMME is Julia Child's great-nephew and the coauthor of her autobiography, My Life in France, which was adapted into the movie Julie & Julia. He is also the author of The Ripple Effect- The Fate of Freshwater in the Twenty-First Century, Hydrofracking- What Everyone Needs to Know, and The Cell Game, and he is the coauthor (with Michael Cherkasky) of Forewarned- Why the Government Is Failing to Protect Us--and What We Must Do to Protect Ourselves. Prud'homme's journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, and People.