Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste

by Luke Barr

Paperback

Published November 1, 2014

About the author

Luke Barr is the author of THE SECRET HISTORY OF FRENCH COOKING (March 2026), RITZ & ESCOFFIER, and the New York Times bestseller PROVENCE, 1970. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, architect Yumi Moriwaki, and their two daughters.

Reviews

[Joan Padgitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my "foodie" themed book club and I think this is a 'must-read' for the proclaimed foodie in your life!
This is the story of an informal 1970 convention in Provence, France of the culinary influencers of that time when people's interest in food had become more than just recipes to feed yourself and family, but a creative art to be savoured and enjoyed at a higher level.
This 'meeting of the minds' between MFK Fisher (food writer and could be considered one of the first food influencers), Julia Child, James Beard and their "want to be" cronies such as Richard Olney, Simone Beck, Eda Lord and Sybille Bedford (who definitely spices-up the story) and book publisher Judith Jones.
This book is compiled from excerpts of the diaries of MFK Fisher, her sister Norah, Child, Beard and others and reads as a lovely story by author Luke Barr who is MFK's grandnephew.
I highly recommend and would give this book 5 stars to all foodies out there!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It is neither fast-reading, nor exciting, but it doesn't intend to be. I've always been interested in the early foodie (this term wasn't coined until the 1980s) scene of the 1960s and 1970s, because my grandparents were part of it. They knew many of the characters whose names are mentioned in this and similar stories.
I highly recommend this book IF you love reading elaborate descriptions of food and cooking. IF you love reading about what people ate and their reactions to what they ate. IF you enjoy endless discussions about meals and ingredients. My capitalized IFs are because I've recommended foodie books to non-foodie friends in the past and they've often come away puzzled by what I loved so much about the books.
So, if you're like me in regard to the above, I think you will love this book too.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This chronicle of Julia Child and many other apparently Famous cooks of the day is intriguing to no end, especially if one just visited the very region it’s written about.

There are recipes and nuances of culture at the time (both America & France) so interesting - I found myself turning corners on dozens of pages to go back to later.

What a neat read.