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Warming Up Julia Child: The Remarkable Figures Who Shaped a Legend
A Pulitzer prize-finalist peels back the curtain on an unexplored part of Julia Child's life—the formidable team of six she collaborated with to shape her legendary career.
Julia Child's monumental Mastering the Art of French Cooking and iconic television show The French Chef required a team of innovators to bring out her unique presence and personality. Warming Up Julia Child is behind-the-scenes look at this supporting team, revealing how the savvy of these helpers, collaborators, and supporters contributed to Julia's overwhelming success.
Julia is the central subject, but Helen Horowitz has her share the stage with those who aided her work. She reveals that the most important element in Julia Child’s ultimate success was her unusual capacity for forming fruitful alliances, whether it was Paul Child, Simone Beck, Avis DeVoto, Judith Jones and William Koshland (at Knopf), and Ruth Lockwood (at WGBH). Without the contribution of these six collaborators Julia could never have accomplished what she did.
Filled with vivid correspondance, fascinating characters, and the iconic joie de vivre that makes us come back to Julia again and again, Warming Up Julia Child is essential reading for anyone who adores Julia and her legacy.
Julia Child's monumental Mastering the Art of French Cooking and iconic television show The French Chef required a team of innovators to bring out her unique presence and personality. Warming Up Julia Child is behind-the-scenes look at this supporting team, revealing how the savvy of these helpers, collaborators, and supporters contributed to Julia's overwhelming success.
Julia is the central subject, but Helen Horowitz has her share the stage with those who aided her work. She reveals that the most important element in Julia Child’s ultimate success was her unusual capacity for forming fruitful alliances, whether it was Paul Child, Simone Beck, Avis DeVoto, Judith Jones and William Koshland (at Knopf), and Ruth Lockwood (at WGBH). Without the contribution of these six collaborators Julia could never have accomplished what she did.
Filled with vivid correspondance, fascinating characters, and the iconic joie de vivre that makes us come back to Julia again and again, Warming Up Julia Child is essential reading for anyone who adores Julia and her legacy.
287 pages, Hardcover
Published April 5, 2022
9 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz
30 books4 followersHelen Lefkowitz Horowitz is professor of history and American Studies at Smith College.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 27, 2023
Firstly, I wasn't looking for a biography of Julia Child, which this isn't--nor does it pretend to be one. Instead it details the incredible amount of work (more than a decade, with much careful planning and string-pulling) that went into the production and marketing of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (including the making of The French Chef).
Warming Up Julia Child (who picked this title?) relies heavily on correspondence--the paper trail is practically a six-lane freeway--and is almost encyclopedic in its chronicling of the development of the famous tome, the success of which was no stroke of luck. Julia's relationships and interactions with her closest collaborators--husband Paul Child, co-author Simone Beck, friend Avis DeVoto, Knopf bigwig Bill Koshland, editor Judith Jones, and FC associate producer Ruth Lockwood--form the backbone of the book (Mrs. Woolf and the Servants: An Intimate History of Domestic Life in Bloomsbury uses a similar technique) which is as much about the publishing industry, and later television production, as it is about Julia Child. The years 1952 to 1966 (Mastering was published in 1961) saw Julia Child living in Paris, Marseilles, Bonn, Washington DC, Oslo, and Cambridge, MA and her life and work in each city is well documented.
Horowitz is remarkably thorough given the book's modest length, from time to time repeating herself, but I doubt I will ever need to read another book on Julia Child. Some people would instead prefer to read half a dozen books on Julia Child, some perhaps a little lighter, and could therefore probably do without this one, but I will consider it to be the Master Recipe from here on out. All the rest are mere variations. (Also excellent is the recent documentary, Julia.)
Warming Up Julia Child (who picked this title?) relies heavily on correspondence--the paper trail is practically a six-lane freeway--and is almost encyclopedic in its chronicling of the development of the famous tome, the success of which was no stroke of luck. Julia's relationships and interactions with her closest collaborators--husband Paul Child, co-author Simone Beck, friend Avis DeVoto, Knopf bigwig Bill Koshland, editor Judith Jones, and FC associate producer Ruth Lockwood--form the backbone of the book (Mrs. Woolf and the Servants: An Intimate History of Domestic Life in Bloomsbury uses a similar technique) which is as much about the publishing industry, and later television production, as it is about Julia Child. The years 1952 to 1966 (Mastering was published in 1961) saw Julia Child living in Paris, Marseilles, Bonn, Washington DC, Oslo, and Cambridge, MA and her life and work in each city is well documented.
Horowitz is remarkably thorough given the book's modest length, from time to time repeating herself, but I doubt I will ever need to read another book on Julia Child. Some people would instead prefer to read half a dozen books on Julia Child, some perhaps a little lighter, and could therefore probably do without this one, but I will consider it to be the Master Recipe from here on out. All the rest are mere variations. (Also excellent is the recent documentary, Julia.)
May 20, 2022
2.5 stars but I rounded it up, because it's Julia ;-)
I always jump when there is another Julia Child book out! But I wondered do we really need another one when there are so many good ones out there already? (and I still have two on my shelf that I haven't read!) In the case of this book, my answer is no. Horowitz chose to focus on the six people who helped shape Julia Child into “Julia,” the household name, the French Chef. And it is told through letters, with much of the information already published in Joan Reardon’s book “Always Julia,” which chronicles the letters between Julia and Avis DeVoto. As well as information from Bob Spitz’s exhaustive biography “Dearie.” And Luke Barr’s “Provence 1970.” And Julia’s own book, “My Life in France.” While the focus is on these six people (Paul Child, Avis DeVoto, Simone Beck, Judith Jones, Ruth Lockwood, and William Koshland), there is nothing new here. To me, this felt like a ploy to get Julia lovers to buy another book. And I fell for it! (But, if haven’t read all of these books, this WILL be new information for you!)
For those who are lovers of the HBO series “Julia,” like I am, while I had a feeling, I learned the series has precious little real facts. Sadly, most is a figment of the writers’ imaginations. Avis and Paul were great friends and Julia didn’t pay for the first season to be aired herself were just two things that stood out to me as being inaccurate on the show.
But on the positive, as an editor, I loved reading how Judith Jones was so incredibly detailed and took such care when editing the book, and also, that a book of this magnitude was written by three women who sometimes lived on different continents, or at least countries. Seeing the book come to being published as well as its subsequent multiple printings, was incredible and inspiring!
I always jump when there is another Julia Child book out! But I wondered do we really need another one when there are so many good ones out there already? (and I still have two on my shelf that I haven't read!) In the case of this book, my answer is no. Horowitz chose to focus on the six people who helped shape Julia Child into “Julia,” the household name, the French Chef. And it is told through letters, with much of the information already published in Joan Reardon’s book “Always Julia,” which chronicles the letters between Julia and Avis DeVoto. As well as information from Bob Spitz’s exhaustive biography “Dearie.” And Luke Barr’s “Provence 1970.” And Julia’s own book, “My Life in France.” While the focus is on these six people (Paul Child, Avis DeVoto, Simone Beck, Judith Jones, Ruth Lockwood, and William Koshland), there is nothing new here. To me, this felt like a ploy to get Julia lovers to buy another book. And I fell for it! (But, if haven’t read all of these books, this WILL be new information for you!)
For those who are lovers of the HBO series “Julia,” like I am, while I had a feeling, I learned the series has precious little real facts. Sadly, most is a figment of the writers’ imaginations. Avis and Paul were great friends and Julia didn’t pay for the first season to be aired herself were just two things that stood out to me as being inaccurate on the show.
But on the positive, as an editor, I loved reading how Judith Jones was so incredibly detailed and took such care when editing the book, and also, that a book of this magnitude was written by three women who sometimes lived on different continents, or at least countries. Seeing the book come to being published as well as its subsequent multiple printings, was incredible and inspiring!
April 12, 2022
My review of Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz’s book, “Warming Up Julia Child: The Remarkable Figures Who Shaped a Legend”, is a very difficult one for me to write. I’m basing my review partially on a metric I’ve never used before when rating a book and that is “price of the book”. For some reason - inexplicable, if you must know - the publisher has priced the e-version at $27.95 and the print version at $18.99. I had a few credits for free audiobooks, so I bought the book for “free” and listened to it. I was simply not paying $28 for an e-book. I may not be the only one who noticed the price but because mine seems to be the first review published, I haven’t seen any other comments.
Okay, all these pricing problems are really a shame because Horowitz’s book is great. She goes past the regular bios of Child, putting her cookbook and cooking show into context of the times - postwar “housewives” were looking for something different than the same old recipes they’d been cooking for decades. Julia Child put into common language and measurements the French recipes she featured in her books and on her PBS show.
But Julia Child, who started to cook when she was stationed in various European countries (though mostly in France), did not succeed alone. She had plenty of help (and encouragement) from her husband, Paul Child, who was a US Foreign Service officer, as well as women friends who she cooked with and who helped her on her show. All these people are featured in Horowitz’s book.
It’s truly a well-written and entertaining book and shows new facets of a woman many of us probably think we knew. I will change my rating of the book from 4 stars to the 5 the book deserves if I ever get an ebook.
By the way, I became interested in Julia Child after beginning the series on HBO Max called “Julia”. It’s also done very well.
Okay, all these pricing problems are really a shame because Horowitz’s book is great. She goes past the regular bios of Child, putting her cookbook and cooking show into context of the times - postwar “housewives” were looking for something different than the same old recipes they’d been cooking for decades. Julia Child put into common language and measurements the French recipes she featured in her books and on her PBS show.
But Julia Child, who started to cook when she was stationed in various European countries (though mostly in France), did not succeed alone. She had plenty of help (and encouragement) from her husband, Paul Child, who was a US Foreign Service officer, as well as women friends who she cooked with and who helped her on her show. All these people are featured in Horowitz’s book.
It’s truly a well-written and entertaining book and shows new facets of a woman many of us probably think we knew. I will change my rating of the book from 4 stars to the 5 the book deserves if I ever get an ebook.
By the way, I became interested in Julia Child after beginning the series on HBO Max called “Julia”. It’s also done very well.
February 6, 2024
Despite the obnoxiously suggestive title, with no content to support it, I enjoyed the clear reading of the audiobook by Ann Richardson. Author Horowitz is equally clear in her writing, if somewhat repetitive. Easy to follow the story of Julia’s rise to fame and fortune, and to keep track of the six of Julia’s helpers. The book is mainly about the support that Julia received from these helpers, and emphasizes Julia’s skill in developing and maintaining friendships that were also working relationships. The author researched Julia’s written correspondence while developing Mastering the Art of French Cooking (her co-authored cookbook) through launching and syndication of The French Chef (her TV show).
3.5 stars for the interesting but repetitive nature of the narrative, bumped up to 4 because of the meticulous research Horowitz did to write the book. With such a volume of correspondence to track down and tap, it is easy to over-share, and that’s better than leaving too much material out.
Julia became the star, but would not have made it without help from others. They are:
Paul Child: her husband, photographer, task man, promoter, and financial supporter before her cookbook idea took off.
Simone “Simka” Beck: French friend and co-author of the cookbook; finder, creator, tester, and proofreader of recipes; partner in teaching classes; and provider of a home in France for Julia and Paul.
Avis DeVoto: friend, socialite, promoter, stager of prominent events, tour assistant, hands-on helper in TV studio, provider of a home for Julia and Paul in Boston area.
William Koshland: prominent member of Knopf publishing, initial supporter and promoter of cookbook, string-puller, correspondent, navigator of Knopf management.
Judith Jones: champion-er of the cookbook at Knopf, promoter and editorial advisor, diligent advancer of the manuscript and its iterations to maintain Knopf’s interest in publishing despite delays, rejections, and revisions.
Ruth Lockwood: assistant producer at KGBH, producer and promoter of Julia’s cooking show, hands-on assistant in the TV studio, instrumental in developing US-wide syndication.
A worthwhile read if you have watched the show or used the cookbook.
3.5 stars for the interesting but repetitive nature of the narrative, bumped up to 4 because of the meticulous research Horowitz did to write the book. With such a volume of correspondence to track down and tap, it is easy to over-share, and that’s better than leaving too much material out.
Julia became the star, but would not have made it without help from others. They are:
Paul Child: her husband, photographer, task man, promoter, and financial supporter before her cookbook idea took off.
Simone “Simka” Beck: French friend and co-author of the cookbook; finder, creator, tester, and proofreader of recipes; partner in teaching classes; and provider of a home in France for Julia and Paul.
Avis DeVoto: friend, socialite, promoter, stager of prominent events, tour assistant, hands-on helper in TV studio, provider of a home for Julia and Paul in Boston area.
William Koshland: prominent member of Knopf publishing, initial supporter and promoter of cookbook, string-puller, correspondent, navigator of Knopf management.
Judith Jones: champion-er of the cookbook at Knopf, promoter and editorial advisor, diligent advancer of the manuscript and its iterations to maintain Knopf’s interest in publishing despite delays, rejections, and revisions.
Ruth Lockwood: assistant producer at KGBH, producer and promoter of Julia’s cooking show, hands-on assistant in the TV studio, instrumental in developing US-wide syndication.
A worthwhile read if you have watched the show or used the cookbook.
January 15, 2025
This book is not for everyone, but I loved it! It’s a book that explains the people around Julia Child, who, without them, could not have become “The Julia Child”. It was interesting to me because I love learning about writers and peoples paths to “overnight success”. Haha - If you read this, you will see tenacity in action!
September 4, 2023
I have read just about every book on Julia that has been written. Each one emphasized the individual ie Julia or Avis and Julia or Alex P’s books about her time in France and writing MTAOFC. This one magically pulls all the pieces together. How each one of the six worked with each other and Julia to present a perfect picture of The French Chef. Beautifully written Perfect 👍
April 3, 2022
A look at the people who helped shape Julia Child into the revered and beloved icon she became. Thank you Pegasus Press for the advanced copy!
Here's my review:
http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com/...
Here's my review:
http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com/...
June 3, 2023
At 6'2" in mid century America, Julia Child was larger than life already, but when the book she devoted more than a decade of her life to was published and she started giving cooking lessons over the airwaves and not just in private homes, her public presence became truly remarkable and she joined the the lofty ranks of the culinary trendsetters.
She didn't do it alone.
Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz has written a book that reveals how Julia's ability to collaborate helped make her the culinary icon she became. She follows Julia's path from a proto-foodie in France to an Emmy-winning television cook and introduces 6 key figures along the way.
Some of the people are familiar: Paul Child, Julia's ever-supportive husband and helpmeet, Simca Beck, the French woman who was the coauthor of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Avis DeVoto, a friend with invaluable connections in publishing, and Judith Jones, the editor at Knopf who guided Julia from a brilliant manuscript to publication.
What sets the book apart is Horowitz's inclusion of two figures that are not as familiar: William Koshland, a key figure at Knopf, and Ruth Lockwood, the associate producer on The French Chef.
Horowitz's research is topnotch, and she does an excellent job describing how these six people became Julia's team and what they contributed to her success. The author also has some unique insights into the relationship between Julia and Simca that explains their sometimes fractious relationship as coauthors. I've read a lot of stuff about Julia Child,.and yet found much new information and perspective in this book.
While Julia's hearty personality makes almost any book about her entertaining, Horowitz's synthesizes information in an entirely entertaining way.
She didn't do it alone.
Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz has written a book that reveals how Julia's ability to collaborate helped make her the culinary icon she became. She follows Julia's path from a proto-foodie in France to an Emmy-winning television cook and introduces 6 key figures along the way.
Some of the people are familiar: Paul Child, Julia's ever-supportive husband and helpmeet, Simca Beck, the French woman who was the coauthor of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Avis DeVoto, a friend with invaluable connections in publishing, and Judith Jones, the editor at Knopf who guided Julia from a brilliant manuscript to publication.
What sets the book apart is Horowitz's inclusion of two figures that are not as familiar: William Koshland, a key figure at Knopf, and Ruth Lockwood, the associate producer on The French Chef.
Horowitz's research is topnotch, and she does an excellent job describing how these six people became Julia's team and what they contributed to her success. The author also has some unique insights into the relationship between Julia and Simca that explains their sometimes fractious relationship as coauthors. I've read a lot of stuff about Julia Child,.and yet found much new information and perspective in this book.
While Julia's hearty personality makes almost any book about her entertaining, Horowitz's synthesizes information in an entirely entertaining way.
April 26, 2022
I've read quite a few stories and continue to be fascinated by Julia Child so when I saw this pop up in my Hoopla reading, I thought this would be another title I'd want to dive in to. And it was worth the read though some of it dove in to the very technical aspects of some of these relationships, especially when it came to the publishing of the book.
But what I like about the story is that it brings something different. It's not intended to diminish Child's work but magnify her personality through the relationships she developed with everyone from her husband Paul to her editor Judith. It's the story of these people who flanked Julia when her career in cooking was moving along that shed light on how hard-working and amiable she was. It's not about the one person but the entourage of people who all conspired to help her rising star ascend.
But what I like about the story is that it brings something different. It's not intended to diminish Child's work but magnify her personality through the relationships she developed with everyone from her husband Paul to her editor Judith. It's the story of these people who flanked Julia when her career in cooking was moving along that shed light on how hard-working and amiable she was. It's not about the one person but the entourage of people who all conspired to help her rising star ascend.
May 17, 2022
Learn how Julia Child developed French recipes for an American audience, crafted a cookbook, and ultimately a TV show on public television. Her perseverance is commendable, her partnerships memorable, and her determination admirable.
Filled with letters, memos, and diary entries, this somewhat academic history/ biography will astound readers and listeners alike as they follow Julia Child and her cooking and editing partners on her 10+ year journey to bring “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” to an American audience.
For a review of the performance by Ann Richardson, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
NOTE: The GR link to an audiobook was not available when I wrote this review.
Filled with letters, memos, and diary entries, this somewhat academic history/ biography will astound readers and listeners alike as they follow Julia Child and her cooking and editing partners on her 10+ year journey to bring “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” to an American audience.
For a review of the performance by Ann Richardson, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
NOTE: The GR link to an audiobook was not available when I wrote this review.
July 5, 2022
I thought this book had potential when I first picked it up, but became quickly disappointed with it. It is very, very dryly written. A lot of it struck me as a “copy and paste” style from various articles and biographies about the people who were on Julia’s “production team.” It was VERY well researched, but felt incomplete and lacking.
If you want better Julia Child biographies, Dearie is OUTSTANDING and very comprehensive. As Always, Julia reprints all of her letters between her and Avis DeVoto. And, of course, there is Julia’s memoir, My Life in France, and her nephew’s book, The French Chef in America. All four of these books are excellent, but if you want a mere summary of them, read this one.
If you want better Julia Child biographies, Dearie is OUTSTANDING and very comprehensive. As Always, Julia reprints all of her letters between her and Avis DeVoto. And, of course, there is Julia’s memoir, My Life in France, and her nephew’s book, The French Chef in America. All four of these books are excellent, but if you want a mere summary of them, read this one.
June 8, 2022
I am super disappointed in this book. It was super boring and for the most part a regurgitation of letters that were exchanged between Julia Child and her friends/coworkers. It would have been more interesting if we got to read the entirety of the letters instead of just having snippets pulled out. The only reason I finished the book is that I had to read it for book club. It was a hard read. I certainly learned a ton about how her cookbook and show came into being, but it was such a slog of a book. Cannot recommend.
June 25, 2022
Such a disappointing book. Julia Child should have been a wonderful subject for a book but the horrible writing mixed with spotty editing made it a chore to get through.
September 13, 2023
Really enjoyed this unique perspective on Julia's life in the 50s and 60s. Well documented and interesting read!
January 30, 2024
Great story of the rise to fame of Julia Child an the people around her that made it possible.
February 17, 2024
Excellent read, especially for fans of the TV series Julia.
July 7, 2024
Good book. I was sorry that Russ Morash, her producer was not included in this book. But maybe there were not enough written records between them.
November 3, 2022
I listened to the audiobook. Great look into the people around Julia and a history of how Mastering the Art of French Cooking became what it is.
February 12, 2023
I’m watching and enjoying the HBO+ series “Julia.” It’s not perfect (I’ve read the reviews), but is an engrossing story about a remarkable woman and her friends and colleagues. Being curious about her stalwart friends and collaborators, I turned to Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz’s fine book for more information. And an excellent companion to “Julia” it is! Paul Child is presented with sympathy and clarity as Julia’s demanding/supportive spouse. Her friend Avis DeVoto and editor Judith Jones are presented in fuller context. Julia’s working relationships and friendship with her French collaborators are traced out over two decades. And Julia herself is presented as a determined individual, persistent and savvy in her business judgments about how to make the cookbook on which The French Chef was built a resounding success.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews