The Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville launched its 126th program year themed by showcasing Famous Female American Chefs, with a lively Guest Night featuring a portrayal of TV favorite, Julia Child.
While no actual cooking was demonstrated (Surely the glass of wine wouldn’t count!), it was, in essence, a picture of women’s progress in America, in cooking, in politics, in all sorts of things. After graduating from Smith College without what was often termed an “Mrs. degree” ,Julia Child was relegated to backroom secretarial jobs in the intelligence services during the WWII era, until arriving in Paris, meeting her husband and being introduced to the art of French cooking. She took lessons, practiced endlessly, learned the meanings of things like “gratinee” and “caramelize,” to avoid shark cakes, and the techniques for making French onion soup. Next step : a cookbook.
Sometimes simply translating French terms and measurements seemed to be more than a cookbook for Americans could support but she pressed on, being encouraged by her husband and her teachers. What emerged from this travail became known as The French Chef.
This led to a gig in Boston on WGBH which became the first on-air cooking show on television, led to new techniques in such programs and became one of the most popular daytime programs across the country.
This program was presented as an outreach of Women in History, Stepping Out of the Pages, Telling their Stories, a service of the Lakewood Public Library, Lakewood Ohio.
After the much-enjoyed presentation , members introduced their guests and those in attendance enjoyed light refreshments featuring fruit and chocolate recipes from Julia Child’s cookbook, The Art of French Cooking.
Next meeting will be on October 1, 2026, spotlighting Fannie Farmer
