Posts Tagged ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’

Media Center: ‘French Chef in America’ by Alex Prudhomme

September 26th, 2016

WHO: Julia Child

WHAT: THE FRENCH CHEF IN AMERICA,
a new biography by Alex Prud’homme

WHEN: Published by Knopf October 5, 2016

WHERE: Author tour to Boston, Connecticut, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Tulsa, Vancouver

WHY: “An affectionate but journalistically scrupulous backstage account of Julia Child’s influential second act.
“Prud’homme explores the life of his great aunt, Julia Child (1912-2004), America’s first celebrity chef and an enduring cultural icon. Co-author of her autobiography, My Life in France, the author demonstrates how Child, a cultural mediator between France and America in the first act of her career, combined authoritative knowledge with an uninhibited, TV-ready personality in activating the taste buds of a nation. He goes behind the scenes to chronicle the development of her many TV series, from the seminal The French Chef to Dinner at Julia’s, as well as her influential, often groundbreaking cookbooks.
“The book centers in large part on the Childs’ years in Cambridge, detailing her long association with WGBH, Boston’s flagship public TV station, and a rather rocky relationship with PBS. Her husband, Paul, is credited as an equal partner in a creative joint venture, making manifest contributions as editor, mentor, photographer, confidant, and sommelier to her career while studiously avoiding the limelight. Along with a dollop of culinary arcana, Prud’homme folds some surprises into his soufflé, showing a woman Julia photoof sometimes contradictory culinary convictions: Child the passionate defender of French tradition who was a relentless agent of change in America and Child the (initial) adversary of nouvelle cuisine who eventually found classical French gastronomy too limiting.
“We also meet Child the driven, tireless worker, a pragmatist who put herself into the reader’s or viewer’s shoes; the committed teacher and steadfast friend; the kitchenware junkie; the incorruptible opponent of product plugs; the staunch defender of science who credulously championed flawed food studies; and the nonconformist with a traditionalist streak. The author also gives room to Child’s frequent collaborator Simone ‘Simca’ Beck, longtime editor/midwife Judith Jones, and chef Jacques Pépin.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS

“As engaging as Julia Child herself and as delicious as one of her recipes.”
—Becca Smith, BOOKLIST

“Deftly captures Julia’s passionate personality and the evolution of her career and place in popular culture…A welcome addition for Julia Child fans.” —Melissa Stoeger, LIBRARY JOURNAL


Author photoMedia Resources:
About the book and author | Author tour | Read an excerpt | Download the jacket | Download the photo of Julia (credit: James Scherer) | Download the author photo

Knopf. 318 pages. $27.95 ISBN 978-0-385-35175-1


Publicist for this title:
Jordan Rodman | 212-782-9714 | jrodman@penguinrandomhouse.com