Julia Child
Julia Child may be best known for taking French cuisine and making it relatable to the modern American kitchen plus bringing gourmet cooking to the masses, but did you know her original aspiration was to be a famed novelist? After working as a copywriter in advertising, a typist for the U.S. Information Agency, a research assistant in the Secret Intelligence division of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, which was part of the CIA), and a researcher helping develop shark repellent, she switched gears to the culinary world and began training. Her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published in 1961 when she was nearly 50. She soon broke into TV and The French Chef was formed with her at the helm. The show also helped her win an Emmy and made her the first educational television personality to receive such an award. Check out all of her accolades that continued to roll in right up to the culinary legend’s death in 2004.
