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The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food
From the legendary editor who helped shape modern cookbook publishing—one of the food world’s most admired figures—an evocative and inspiring memoir.
Living in Paris after World War II, Judith Jones broke free of the bland American food she had been raised on and reveled in everyday French culinary delights. On returning to the States—hoping to bring some joie de cuisine to America—she published Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The rest is publishing and gastronomic history.
A new world now opened up to discovering, with her husband, Evan, the delights of American food; working with the tireless Julia; absorbing the wisdom of James Beard; understanding food as memory through the writings of Claudia Roden and Madhur Jaffrey; demystifying the techniques of Chinese cookery with Irene Kuo; absorbing the Italian way through the warmth of Lidia Bastianich; and working with Edna Lewis, Marion Cunningham, Joan Nathan, and other groundbreaking cooks.
Jones considers matters of taste (can it be acquired?). She discusses the vagaries of vegetable gardening in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the joys of foraging in the woods and meadows. And she writes about M.F.K. as mentor, friend, and the source of luminous insight into the arts of eating, living, and aging.
Embellished with fifty recipes—each with its own story and special tips—this is an absolutely charming memoir by a woman who was present at the creation of the American food revolution and played a seminal role in shaping it.
Living in Paris after World War II, Judith Jones broke free of the bland American food she had been raised on and reveled in everyday French culinary delights. On returning to the States—hoping to bring some joie de cuisine to America—she published Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The rest is publishing and gastronomic history.
A new world now opened up to discovering, with her husband, Evan, the delights of American food; working with the tireless Julia; absorbing the wisdom of James Beard; understanding food as memory through the writings of Claudia Roden and Madhur Jaffrey; demystifying the techniques of Chinese cookery with Irene Kuo; absorbing the Italian way through the warmth of Lidia Bastianich; and working with Edna Lewis, Marion Cunningham, Joan Nathan, and other groundbreaking cooks.
Jones considers matters of taste (can it be acquired?). She discusses the vagaries of vegetable gardening in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the joys of foraging in the woods and meadows. And she writes about M.F.K. as mentor, friend, and the source of luminous insight into the arts of eating, living, and aging.
Embellished with fifty recipes—each with its own story and special tips—this is an absolutely charming memoir by a woman who was present at the creation of the American food revolution and played a seminal role in shaping it.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 2007
About the author
Judith Jones
49 books40 followersJudith B. Jones retired as senior editor and vice president at Knopf in 2011. In 1950 she rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile. In 1960, she championed a cookbook no other publisher would touch, named it Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and became Julia Child's editor from then on. She ushered all of John Updike's books into print, including the posthumous titles, and edited many other important works both culinary and literary.
Jones has written a number of cookbooks herself, as well as a cookbook/memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. Raised in New England, she lived in New York City and summered in Northern Vermont, where she also raised grass-fed cattle on the Bryn Teg farm.
Her husband and collaborator Evan Jones died in 1996. The couple had no children.
Jones joined Knopf in 1957 as an assistant to Blanche Knopf and editor working mainly on translations of French writers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Before that she worked for Doubleday, first in New York and then in Paris, where she read and recommended The Diary of Anne Frank, pulling it out of the rejection pile.
Major culinary authors Jones has brought into print include Lidia Bastianich, James Beard, Julia Child, Marion Cunningham, Rosie Daley, Edward Giobbi, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, Joan Nathan, Scott Peacock, Jacques Pépin, Claudia Roden, and Nina Simonds. The 18-book Knopf Cooks American series was Jones' creation. She is also the longtime editor of John Updike, Anne Tyler, John Hersey, Elizabeth Bowen, Peter Taylor and William Maxwell.
Jones wrote three books with her husband Evan, and has written two on her own since his death, one on cooking for one person, as well as a memoir of her life and food.
Jones has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was portrayed by American actress Erin Dilly in the 2009 film, Julie & Julia.
(from Wikipedia)
Jones has written a number of cookbooks herself, as well as a cookbook/memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. Raised in New England, she lived in New York City and summered in Northern Vermont, where she also raised grass-fed cattle on the Bryn Teg farm.
Her husband and collaborator Evan Jones died in 1996. The couple had no children.
Jones joined Knopf in 1957 as an assistant to Blanche Knopf and editor working mainly on translations of French writers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Before that she worked for Doubleday, first in New York and then in Paris, where she read and recommended The Diary of Anne Frank, pulling it out of the rejection pile.
Major culinary authors Jones has brought into print include Lidia Bastianich, James Beard, Julia Child, Marion Cunningham, Rosie Daley, Edward Giobbi, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, Joan Nathan, Scott Peacock, Jacques Pépin, Claudia Roden, and Nina Simonds. The 18-book Knopf Cooks American series was Jones' creation. She is also the longtime editor of John Updike, Anne Tyler, John Hersey, Elizabeth Bowen, Peter Taylor and William Maxwell.
Jones wrote three books with her husband Evan, and has written two on her own since his death, one on cooking for one person, as well as a memoir of her life and food.
Jones has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was portrayed by American actress Erin Dilly in the 2009 film, Julie & Julia.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
March 17, 2019
One of my roles in the group Retro Chapter Chicks here on goodreads is to promote the Remarkable Woman of the Month. For Women’s History Month, I have taken this a step further by featuring the Remarkable Woman of the Week. Last week in my research, I was lead to Judith Jones, a longtime editor for Knopf Books, who was born on March 10, 1924. As a woman who rose to senior editor at a major publishing house during an era when women were content to lead lives as housewives, I was intrigued to find out more about this fascinating lady. The fact that she found time to write her own books added to my level of intrigue, which is how I came to include Jones’ The Tenth Muse: My Life In Food as part of my Women’s History Month (2019) lineup.
Judith Jones nee Bailey was born on March 10, 1924 to Charles and Helen Bailey of New York City. From an early age, young Judy enjoyed eating and trying different foods, leading a loving aunt to note that she would be the plump one in the family. With Charles being from French descent and Helen having Welsh roots, Judith was exposed to a variety of foods during an era when American gastronomy was at an all time low. Even as a child of the depression, the Bailey family employed a housekeeper Edie who exposed the children to homemade spaghetti and cheese, leading Judith to a lifetime disdain of boxed macaroni and cheese. Judith’s father noted that of his daughters, Judith was willing to try the most new foods and took her weekly to French restaurants, leading to a lifetime of enjoyment of being a French food connoisseur. Upon her graduation from Bennington College, Judith landed a job as an editor at Doubleday Books but chose to travel to Paris in search of the perfect, authentic French cuisine. It was a decision that changed her life course.
During the post war years, Rosie the Riveters returned home as men reclaimed their jobs after serving their country in World War II. With the advent of frozen dinners and prepared food, American housewives of the baby boom era were wed to easy meals that eased their lives as mothers to growing families. Cooking simple foods as hamburgers and fries or spaghetti and meat sauce with little flavor added, most American women were content with their station, which included preparing bland foods. While in France, Judith Bailey discovered foods flavored with garlic, capers, tarragon, and other regional and seasonal herbs and spices. Paired with the correct wine and foods would explode on the palette, creating memorable meals. Bailey did not want to return from Paris to a United States where job prospects were limited. Then she met Evan Jones, who was to be her life partner of fifty years. The couple shared a love of food, both preparing meals from scratch, trying new ethnicities, and writing about their findings. It was a match made in food heaven.
Neither Judith or Evan Jones had any job prospects in America as of yet, but the Baileys desired that their daughter return from Paris. While employed by Doubleday, Judith rescued Anne Frank: A Diary Of a Young Girl from the rejection table, catching the eyes of publishing companies who noted her critical eye for editing. After submitting magazine articles for publication, in 1957 Judith landed a job at Knopf Books as an assistant to Blanche Knopf. Her role was primarily translating French authors such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, yet her career trajectory changed when Alfred Knopf asked her to be the lead editor for a cookbook written by an unknown named Julia Child. Judith saw with the 1960s approaching that Americans were ready to try new cuisines and jumped on the challenge to introduce French foods to the American palette. Child’s The Art Of French Cooking jumpstarted her career, one that Jones did not predict as being as popular as it was. This cookbook also lead Jones from translating French authors to being primarily a cookbook editor and author.
During her career as an editor, Jones was determined to pinpoint American regional cuisine and expose Americans to different foods in order to expand their palettes. She introduced home cooks to renown chefs as Claudia Roden, Irene Kuo, Lidia Bastainich, and Edna Lewis. Despite most famous chefs being men, Jones believed that most of the best cooking came from the home and preparing family meals. By collaborating with these women on cookbooks that featured their ethnic cuisine, Jones made a variety of foods accessible to home cooks. As the amount of ingredients on shelves increased to reflect the increased diversity of the American population, Jones noted in her own writing that there was no excuse for Americans to only eat the same bland foods. By trying new foods, they would expand their palettes, changing the genetic makeup for the next generations. After a lifetime of cooking and eating, Jones herself became predisposed to enjoy Chinese, Greek, and American Southern foods in edition to her family’s French and Welsh roots. These are reflected in the recipe section that she provides for readers at the back of the book. Reading through these diverse recipes, it is clear that over a career that Jones’ collaborated with a myriad of authors to make many foods accessible to the average cook.
Splitting time between Vermont, New York City, and Paris, Judith Jones also promoted seasonal, regional cooking. She enjoyed foraging for mushrooms, tapping fresh maple syrup, and eating the produce bounty of the season. Lifetime friendships with renown chefs as Julia Child and James Beard exposed Jones to a myriad of cooking techniques that she in turn taught children who visited her own kitchen. In 2006, Jones won the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting on a career of exposing home cooks to hundreds of otherwise unknown chefs. Rising to become a senior editor at Knopf and still finding the time to write her own books, Judith Jones shattered the glass ceiling. As someone who enjoys to cook, and eat, a variety of foods I found the recipes mouth watering and Judith’s life to be fascinating. A remarkable woman indeed.
4 stars
Judith Jones nee Bailey was born on March 10, 1924 to Charles and Helen Bailey of New York City. From an early age, young Judy enjoyed eating and trying different foods, leading a loving aunt to note that she would be the plump one in the family. With Charles being from French descent and Helen having Welsh roots, Judith was exposed to a variety of foods during an era when American gastronomy was at an all time low. Even as a child of the depression, the Bailey family employed a housekeeper Edie who exposed the children to homemade spaghetti and cheese, leading Judith to a lifetime disdain of boxed macaroni and cheese. Judith’s father noted that of his daughters, Judith was willing to try the most new foods and took her weekly to French restaurants, leading to a lifetime of enjoyment of being a French food connoisseur. Upon her graduation from Bennington College, Judith landed a job as an editor at Doubleday Books but chose to travel to Paris in search of the perfect, authentic French cuisine. It was a decision that changed her life course.
During the post war years, Rosie the Riveters returned home as men reclaimed their jobs after serving their country in World War II. With the advent of frozen dinners and prepared food, American housewives of the baby boom era were wed to easy meals that eased their lives as mothers to growing families. Cooking simple foods as hamburgers and fries or spaghetti and meat sauce with little flavor added, most American women were content with their station, which included preparing bland foods. While in France, Judith Bailey discovered foods flavored with garlic, capers, tarragon, and other regional and seasonal herbs and spices. Paired with the correct wine and foods would explode on the palette, creating memorable meals. Bailey did not want to return from Paris to a United States where job prospects were limited. Then she met Evan Jones, who was to be her life partner of fifty years. The couple shared a love of food, both preparing meals from scratch, trying new ethnicities, and writing about their findings. It was a match made in food heaven.
Neither Judith or Evan Jones had any job prospects in America as of yet, but the Baileys desired that their daughter return from Paris. While employed by Doubleday, Judith rescued Anne Frank: A Diary Of a Young Girl from the rejection table, catching the eyes of publishing companies who noted her critical eye for editing. After submitting magazine articles for publication, in 1957 Judith landed a job at Knopf Books as an assistant to Blanche Knopf. Her role was primarily translating French authors such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, yet her career trajectory changed when Alfred Knopf asked her to be the lead editor for a cookbook written by an unknown named Julia Child. Judith saw with the 1960s approaching that Americans were ready to try new cuisines and jumped on the challenge to introduce French foods to the American palette. Child’s The Art Of French Cooking jumpstarted her career, one that Jones did not predict as being as popular as it was. This cookbook also lead Jones from translating French authors to being primarily a cookbook editor and author.
During her career as an editor, Jones was determined to pinpoint American regional cuisine and expose Americans to different foods in order to expand their palettes. She introduced home cooks to renown chefs as Claudia Roden, Irene Kuo, Lidia Bastainich, and Edna Lewis. Despite most famous chefs being men, Jones believed that most of the best cooking came from the home and preparing family meals. By collaborating with these women on cookbooks that featured their ethnic cuisine, Jones made a variety of foods accessible to home cooks. As the amount of ingredients on shelves increased to reflect the increased diversity of the American population, Jones noted in her own writing that there was no excuse for Americans to only eat the same bland foods. By trying new foods, they would expand their palettes, changing the genetic makeup for the next generations. After a lifetime of cooking and eating, Jones herself became predisposed to enjoy Chinese, Greek, and American Southern foods in edition to her family’s French and Welsh roots. These are reflected in the recipe section that she provides for readers at the back of the book. Reading through these diverse recipes, it is clear that over a career that Jones’ collaborated with a myriad of authors to make many foods accessible to the average cook.
Splitting time between Vermont, New York City, and Paris, Judith Jones also promoted seasonal, regional cooking. She enjoyed foraging for mushrooms, tapping fresh maple syrup, and eating the produce bounty of the season. Lifetime friendships with renown chefs as Julia Child and James Beard exposed Jones to a myriad of cooking techniques that she in turn taught children who visited her own kitchen. In 2006, Jones won the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting on a career of exposing home cooks to hundreds of otherwise unknown chefs. Rising to become a senior editor at Knopf and still finding the time to write her own books, Judith Jones shattered the glass ceiling. As someone who enjoys to cook, and eat, a variety of foods I found the recipes mouth watering and Judith’s life to be fascinating. A remarkable woman indeed.
4 stars
September 16, 2009
Lately I've been surrounding myself with the words of women whose lives have been shaped by food. They are great company, these women, and reveal something new to me with each read. My latest culinary/literary journey was Judith Jones' 'The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food.' Jones was the legendary Knopf editor responsible for publishing dozens of food luminaries over the course of her career. As the Times put it, "Ms. Jones may not be the mother of the revolution in American taste ... but she remains its most productive midwife."
Toward the end of her memoir, Judith discusses what it was like to begin cooking for herself after her husband and partner in all things food passed away.
"After Evan died, in the winter of 1996, I doubted that I would ever find pleasure in making a nice meal for myself and sitting down to eat it all alone. I was wrong. Instead, I realized that the ritual we had shared together for almost fifty years was a part of the rhythm of my life, and by honoring it I kept alive something that was deeply ingrained in our relationship. In fact, more than ever I found myself, about mid-afternoon, letting my mind drift toward what I was going to conjure up for dinner when I got home. Instead of walking into what might have seemed an empty apartment - actually, I've always had a dog who is hungry to greet me - I gravitate toward the kitchen, as I did as a young girl to bask in Edie's warmth, and I can't wait to bring it to life, to fill it with good smells, to start chopping or whisking or tossing and smelling up my hands with garlic. I turn on some music and have a glass of Campari or wine, and it is for me the best part of the day, a time for relaxation. When, at last, I sit down and light the candles, the place across from me is not empty."
This passage strikes right to the heart of why I love to cook. So many moments in this novel resonated with me, as emitted from the heart of this woman who is wise, conscientious, bold, and as fantastic a listener as they come. Seems to me we could use more Judith Jones in the world.
Toward the end of her memoir, Judith discusses what it was like to begin cooking for herself after her husband and partner in all things food passed away.
"After Evan died, in the winter of 1996, I doubted that I would ever find pleasure in making a nice meal for myself and sitting down to eat it all alone. I was wrong. Instead, I realized that the ritual we had shared together for almost fifty years was a part of the rhythm of my life, and by honoring it I kept alive something that was deeply ingrained in our relationship. In fact, more than ever I found myself, about mid-afternoon, letting my mind drift toward what I was going to conjure up for dinner when I got home. Instead of walking into what might have seemed an empty apartment - actually, I've always had a dog who is hungry to greet me - I gravitate toward the kitchen, as I did as a young girl to bask in Edie's warmth, and I can't wait to bring it to life, to fill it with good smells, to start chopping or whisking or tossing and smelling up my hands with garlic. I turn on some music and have a glass of Campari or wine, and it is for me the best part of the day, a time for relaxation. When, at last, I sit down and light the candles, the place across from me is not empty."
This passage strikes right to the heart of why I love to cook. So many moments in this novel resonated with me, as emitted from the heart of this woman who is wise, conscientious, bold, and as fantastic a listener as they come. Seems to me we could use more Judith Jones in the world.
November 21, 2009
I bought this over the summer, but finally finished it after meeting Jones on Saturday afternoon for a cooking demonstration. Some people stand in line to get tickets to see their favorite band, I was jumping out of my skin to meet an 85-year-old editor! :-) I also felt a certain kinship to her, since her family home was around the corner from where I grew up.
I wouldn't call this a memoir in the traditional sense, she kind of skips around in her life, and what a life she's led. I would maybe say she has had more influence on cooking in America than anyone else, based on the fact she has brought these authors to us, Madhur Jaffrey, Marcella Hazen, Claudia Rodan, Joan Nathan, and of course, Julia Child. And she hasn't just worked with seminal cookbook writers, she's also worked with the likes of John Updike and Anne Tyler. Her fingerprints are on so many books.
As a writer and editor, I loved reading to how she crafted these books with the writers, sometimes holing up in their homes for days at a time, cooking alongside them for an attempt to get the perfect explanation for the recipe for the reader as well as herself. An avid and curious cook, I think it was her questions that made writers look beyond the usual recipe and make it even better. I couldn't help but wonder if the careful attention she paid to each book is a dying art form. These days, it seems like things come out quickly, but maybe that's my own jaded look at the publishing world.
It certainly was a wonderful ride to go on with her, and I loved the stories she told of her and her husband, Evan. The only downfall is after seeing her last weekend, she told an awful lot of the stories that were in this book, but it was still nice to hear them first hand.
I wouldn't call this a memoir in the traditional sense, she kind of skips around in her life, and what a life she's led. I would maybe say she has had more influence on cooking in America than anyone else, based on the fact she has brought these authors to us, Madhur Jaffrey, Marcella Hazen, Claudia Rodan, Joan Nathan, and of course, Julia Child. And she hasn't just worked with seminal cookbook writers, she's also worked with the likes of John Updike and Anne Tyler. Her fingerprints are on so many books.
As a writer and editor, I loved reading to how she crafted these books with the writers, sometimes holing up in their homes for days at a time, cooking alongside them for an attempt to get the perfect explanation for the recipe for the reader as well as herself. An avid and curious cook, I think it was her questions that made writers look beyond the usual recipe and make it even better. I couldn't help but wonder if the careful attention she paid to each book is a dying art form. These days, it seems like things come out quickly, but maybe that's my own jaded look at the publishing world.
It certainly was a wonderful ride to go on with her, and I loved the stories she told of her and her husband, Evan. The only downfall is after seeing her last weekend, she told an awful lot of the stories that were in this book, but it was still nice to hear them first hand.
November 27, 2007
Highly enjyable although for a memoir she doesn't get too personal. I guess some of the things I was curious about (like hooking up with her married husband) are really none of my beeswax though. I guess I was looking for more emotion and she seemed a bit detatched. Her husbands death was adressed in one sentence. She also tends to skip around time a bit and the book ends a bit abruptly.
But despite it's shortcomings I really liked reading about the great chefs she met and about her time in Paris.
But despite it's shortcomings I really liked reading about the great chefs she met and about her time in Paris.
January 8, 2018
3.5 patrician and slightly racist stars. I should drop it back to 3 since I didn’t want to make any of the recipes in the book but I added it back on for the shade she throws at Simone Beck and Marcella Hazan.
February 21, 2009
I love this book and can't believe I waited so long to read it. Jones edited John Updike, Sylvia Plath, Anne Tyler, and rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from a slush pile at an American publishing house. She translated Camus and Sartre for American audiences. She changed the way Americans eat by publishing Julia Child, James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, and Madhur Jaffrey.
This book is mostly about what it was like to publish these amazing cookbooks and how American tastes have evolved.
But her memoir also shows what it takes to be a good editor. Judith Jones grew to trust her appetite, and it led her to people who challenged or shared her sensibilities, and she collaborated with those people to help them produce their books. But it's Jones's lively, omnivorous palate that has shaped decades of American culture and tastes. She followed her heart and her belly, and she changed our whole culture. Fascinating.
This book is mostly about what it was like to publish these amazing cookbooks and how American tastes have evolved.
But her memoir also shows what it takes to be a good editor. Judith Jones grew to trust her appetite, and it led her to people who challenged or shared her sensibilities, and she collaborated with those people to help them produce their books. But it's Jones's lively, omnivorous palate that has shaped decades of American culture and tastes. She followed her heart and her belly, and she changed our whole culture. Fascinating.
January 28, 2010
We had a great discussion at a library book group, but I didn't particularly enjoy this book. Jones is an editor who went to Paris in 1948, fell in love with French food and an American man, and was the editor for Julia Child and other big names in cooking, as well as for Anne Tyler and John Updike. She came across as elitist and completely unappealing to me, and I couldn't get past that. But it was a fun discussion (most in the book group liked it) and a good choice for groups that have read other food-related books (M.F.K. Fisher, Michael Pollan, or Julia's My Life in France).
October 27, 2015
3.5 stars
This was an interesting book about Judith Jones love affair with food and cookbook authors. As the editor who brought Julia Child to the attention of the American public, she was involved in all stages of book and recipe production. She and her husband were both accomplished cooks themselves, and her friends included most of the most famous cookbook authors and chefs in America. An interesting side note early in the book has her rescuing Anne Frank's diary from a slush pile and fighting for it's publication. I enjoyed the read, but can't be too enthusiastic because there was no passion in the writing, not enough personal details about her own life, which sounded quite wonderful because it was full of interesting people, travel, and very good food.
Recommended only to those interested in food and cookbooks.
This was an interesting book about Judith Jones love affair with food and cookbook authors. As the editor who brought Julia Child to the attention of the American public, she was involved in all stages of book and recipe production. She and her husband were both accomplished cooks themselves, and her friends included most of the most famous cookbook authors and chefs in America. An interesting side note early in the book has her rescuing Anne Frank's diary from a slush pile and fighting for it's publication. I enjoyed the read, but can't be too enthusiastic because there was no passion in the writing, not enough personal details about her own life, which sounded quite wonderful because it was full of interesting people, travel, and very good food.
Recommended only to those interested in food and cookbooks.
November 11, 2007
A disappointing book. I was looking forward to hearing about Judith Jones and her experiences with so many pivotal foodies. Eventually, I ended up skimming much of the trite, sophomoric, skimpy narration about a life that could have been told with so much more vivacity and detail. Jones may well be a skilled editor and publisher, but she is not a writer. Her story was pleading for sensual description, yet her voice seems as if she just jotted down a litany of the foods she has eaten, the places she experienced them, and the people who awakened her palate. There was very little for me as a reader to sink my teeth into. I doubt any of this book will remain in my memory. The redeeming part of The Tenth Muse was the last 40 or so pages of annotated recipes.
October 24, 2008
This was a very quick and interesting read - I finished it in a couple of days. Judith Jones is the editor who brought the world Anne Frank’s Diary and Mastering the Art of French Cooking and many other well known cookbooks in the 1950s, 60's and 70's. She was there to ride the wave of French cooking and good home cooking in general and eventually international cooking in America at a time when jello molds and cream of mushroom casserole’s were a standard.
Jones doesn't dwell too long on any one particular chef or author, but keeps the story lively by keeping to the highlights. We are introduced to her passion for French food (or perhaps I should say good food) as a young woman in France in the late 40's early 50's, how she came to be an editor for Knopf and her quest to cook well.
While I enjoyed the book, a couple items did manage to irritate me: at times I found the tone a bit condescending - if you didn’t aspire to cook French, then you really aren't a true cook. If you are from the Midwest, you really just don't know how to cook - after all, Midwesterners only eat out of cans and apparently this was proven on a trip to rural Iowa and Minnesota. Well excuuuusseee us Midwesterners for not living in NYC. Her writing style, while enjoyable to follow, often had small holes where some item of information was left wanting and would either be provided later or not at all.
Other than that, I found the book to be a neat look at the history of the cookbook, how influential a small group of people (Judith Jones, Alfred Knopf, Julia Child, Mariann Cunningham, James Beard and others) were in shaping the course of appetites in America. This book also dovetails very nicely with My Life in France by Julia Child, as the histories overlap.
Jones doesn't dwell too long on any one particular chef or author, but keeps the story lively by keeping to the highlights. We are introduced to her passion for French food (or perhaps I should say good food) as a young woman in France in the late 40's early 50's, how she came to be an editor for Knopf and her quest to cook well.
While I enjoyed the book, a couple items did manage to irritate me: at times I found the tone a bit condescending - if you didn’t aspire to cook French, then you really aren't a true cook. If you are from the Midwest, you really just don't know how to cook - after all, Midwesterners only eat out of cans and apparently this was proven on a trip to rural Iowa and Minnesota. Well excuuuusseee us Midwesterners for not living in NYC. Her writing style, while enjoyable to follow, often had small holes where some item of information was left wanting and would either be provided later or not at all.
Other than that, I found the book to be a neat look at the history of the cookbook, how influential a small group of people (Judith Jones, Alfred Knopf, Julia Child, Mariann Cunningham, James Beard and others) were in shaping the course of appetites in America. This book also dovetails very nicely with My Life in France by Julia Child, as the histories overlap.
July 28, 2024
My feelings go back and forth on this one. I want to rave about it and tell you that it is utterly charming. It was for me in the beginning. Perhaps because I enjoyed the culinary adventures of young Judith Jones. But as she ages, in her recollections, the tone turns more lecturing and lamenting a bit on the changing tastes of the young.
I appreciated her passion for a more meditative style of cooking. A slower process where the cook doesn't race to the finish line and uses sustainable products that aren't tarnished by the industrialization of produce and meat. I share in this love but also acknowledge the practicality of it from a financial standpoint. I enjoyed reading about the various culinary giants she worked with; notably Julia Child, James Beard, Lidia Bastianich, Marcella Hazan, and others I ought to have recognized but did not in my culinary ignorance. But as she recollects on her successes and career journey, the tone feels elitist. And when she shares a beaver story (I'll spare you the details) and the subsequent hate mail she received; I was wishing I too could join in on that letter writing campaign. Her defense of meal didn't convince me to change my stance. Even though her career had a focus on the home chef by the end of the novel it felt a bit out of touch for the home cook. As if, Jones was part of a dynasty that was sunsetting. We owe her a tremendous amount of respect for her contributions to food writing and cookbook publications. However, by the end, the book lost quite a bit of relatability for me. I think this was highlighted by a few of the recipes she includes in the end that call for calves' brains, rabbit in a sour chocolate accent sauce, shad roe, hog casings, duck giblets, and far too many lamb recipes. But I do plan on trying to make a gluten free version of her recipe for Butterscotch Cookies that she shares. Will report back if anyone is curious.
I appreciated her passion for a more meditative style of cooking. A slower process where the cook doesn't race to the finish line and uses sustainable products that aren't tarnished by the industrialization of produce and meat. I share in this love but also acknowledge the practicality of it from a financial standpoint. I enjoyed reading about the various culinary giants she worked with; notably Julia Child, James Beard, Lidia Bastianich, Marcella Hazan, and others I ought to have recognized but did not in my culinary ignorance. But as she recollects on her successes and career journey, the tone feels elitist. And when she shares a beaver story (I'll spare you the details) and the subsequent hate mail she received; I was wishing I too could join in on that letter writing campaign. Her defense of meal didn't convince me to change my stance. Even though her career had a focus on the home chef by the end of the novel it felt a bit out of touch for the home cook. As if, Jones was part of a dynasty that was sunsetting. We owe her a tremendous amount of respect for her contributions to food writing and cookbook publications. However, by the end, the book lost quite a bit of relatability for me. I think this was highlighted by a few of the recipes she includes in the end that call for calves' brains, rabbit in a sour chocolate accent sauce, shad roe, hog casings, duck giblets, and far too many lamb recipes. But I do plan on trying to make a gluten free version of her recipe for Butterscotch Cookies that she shares. Will report back if anyone is curious.
December 14, 2007
A little bland for someone who worked with the greatest cookbook authors of the 20th century, including Julia Child, Marcella Hazen, Madhur Jaffrey and Jim Beard. Jones only skims the surface of her relationship with the culinary giants, and one wishes she had taken the time to add a little more spice and substance to her memoir. For those of us with a cookbook addiction, however, this is still an essential read. It was a nice palate cleanser to the much tastier "My Life in France" by Julia Child.
December 16, 2007
disappointing!! Confused narrative structure and cloying descriptions...and this from a legendary editor? She only gets as delightfully crisp (almost brutal) as she was onstage at Cooper Hewitt when she is describing "her" authors (Marcella H. was a bitch!), and determinedly walking her timid readers through her favorite recipes...including one for brains in mustard sauce. The "gooseberry flummery" sounded more appealing, frankly.
January 19, 2009
Very much enjoyed this book, as I do any book written by someone who changed the way Americans (the world?) view food.
I wish Jones had spent a bit more time on the actual editing process rather than on food's role in society, but I suppose that's because I come from publishing. Reading about how these cookbook authors - the fabulous Julia Child being the catalyst - introduced America to a whole bevy of new foods and flavors and tastes was fascinating - I realized, but only half-heartedly, just how much grocery stores have changed in the past 20, 30, 50 years and how much our nation's collective tastebuds have changed, as well. Foods I take for granted (in my case, mainly ethnic foods: Ethiopian, Indian, Malaysian) simply weren't eaten in America when Jones started her career at Knopf. Amazing...I owe a lot to her. I'd be miserable if all that was on my plate was an overcooked piece of meat, a baked potato and a side of cooked-beyond-recognition vegetables. Ugh.
At times, I did feel like I'd read this book before, and with all the attention food books have been getting lately (My Life in France, Omnivore's Dilemma, United States of Arugula, etc.), I probably have read the same theme in a different book. Still, Jones has an elegant writing voice, and her first-hand experience with food and America's palate makes this a more than worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in food.
I wish Jones had spent a bit more time on the actual editing process rather than on food's role in society, but I suppose that's because I come from publishing. Reading about how these cookbook authors - the fabulous Julia Child being the catalyst - introduced America to a whole bevy of new foods and flavors and tastes was fascinating - I realized, but only half-heartedly, just how much grocery stores have changed in the past 20, 30, 50 years and how much our nation's collective tastebuds have changed, as well. Foods I take for granted (in my case, mainly ethnic foods: Ethiopian, Indian, Malaysian) simply weren't eaten in America when Jones started her career at Knopf. Amazing...I owe a lot to her. I'd be miserable if all that was on my plate was an overcooked piece of meat, a baked potato and a side of cooked-beyond-recognition vegetables. Ugh.
At times, I did feel like I'd read this book before, and with all the attention food books have been getting lately (My Life in France, Omnivore's Dilemma, United States of Arugula, etc.), I probably have read the same theme in a different book. Still, Jones has an elegant writing voice, and her first-hand experience with food and America's palate makes this a more than worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in food.
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April 19, 2008Judith Jones's memoir ia about her love affair with food. As senior editor for Knopf for many years, she has worked with the "greats" in the food writing business.
Beginning her career after World War II, working for Doubleday in Paris, where she socialized with the likes of Capote and Baldwin, and got permission from Otto Frank to publish his late daughter's diary, and now still editing for Knopf, Jones's book is a history of her world and the truly creative geniuses she welcomed into it....Julia Child, James Beard, Edna Lewis,and Marion Cunningham, to name a few. Her husband, Evan Jones, also a writer, shared her passion for food, travel, and interesting people.
A truly remarkable life lived by a truly remarkable woman who gave people chances to be all that they could be while making our world a better place.
Beginning her career after World War II, working for Doubleday in Paris, where she socialized with the likes of Capote and Baldwin, and got permission from Otto Frank to publish his late daughter's diary, and now still editing for Knopf, Jones's book is a history of her world and the truly creative geniuses she welcomed into it....Julia Child, James Beard, Edna Lewis,and Marion Cunningham, to name a few. Her husband, Evan Jones, also a writer, shared her passion for food, travel, and interesting people.
A truly remarkable life lived by a truly remarkable woman who gave people chances to be all that they could be while making our world a better place.
July 12, 2019
I thought this was a different novel about female mathematicians (which has the same title) but gave it a go anyway since the library already checked it out for me. The early parts of the book where the author talks about famous chefs and the process of putting together cookbooks were interesting but the further along the book gets the more disconnected I got from the story. The author lives in a very privileged world I just can’t relate to and I got bored reading about how interesting her apparently carefree easy existence is in her Vermont home where she forages daily for “organic” vegetables and mushrooms and eats beavers just for fun, in between yearly trips to Paris and wherever else of course.
Reminds me of eat, pray, love in a bad way. I generally don’t enjoy stories about wealthy people doing wealthy people things. Also as a chemist when the buzzwords “unpasteurized” and “organic” pop up with respect to food I start to lose interest real fast. I’m only surprised some GMO hate didn’t sneak in there too.
Reminds me of eat, pray, love in a bad way. I generally don’t enjoy stories about wealthy people doing wealthy people things. Also as a chemist when the buzzwords “unpasteurized” and “organic” pop up with respect to food I start to lose interest real fast. I’m only surprised some GMO hate didn’t sneak in there too.
April 19, 2023
A pure delight from start to finish. Judith Jones is the OG. Her love of food and cooking runs so true and deep I was bought to tears. Thank goodness for JJ otherwise we would not have some of the incredible food memoirs that we have the pleasure of in our lives!
July 4, 2019
I don’t think she’s a great writer, but if you’re into food, chefs and food writers, this is a pretty compelling read because of all the people she knew and worked with.
February 13, 2025
Loved this autobiography of this hardworking editor of many of the classic cookbooks for home cooks, as well as many other well known authors. Jones was a serious home cook and loved learning about American food ways.
December 5, 2025
rlly good and fascinating!
September 7, 2025
Interesting book, but with awkward writing that doesn’t flow- very odd coming from an editor. It was a little bit of a slog to read because of that but probably worth it for the most part.
July 14, 2010
I love books about people who love food - and I particularly loved this book since Jones' job for many years was to find people who loved food and encourage them to write books about it. Jones' memoir was weakest, for me, when she was talking about her own early years and connection to food - perhaps because the food she remembers is so often bland and a form of privation in its own way. But once Jones' discovers France, and begins to edit numerous cook books (including -Mastering the Art of French Cooking-) the text comes alive. I deeply appreciated Jones' long view of the changes in American cooking, and her support for turning back to the soil around us, and eating things that are local and in season.
My one discomfort with the book came with Jones' single-minded devotion to her topic - which sometimes created some awkward moments. In lauding Thomas Jefferson's love of food and agriculture, for example, she makes no reference to the fact that it was slaves who were growing all of Jefferson's much loved crops. She even mentions that Jefferson had "his man," Mr Hemmings, learn to cook from a French chef to better emulate that style back in Virginia - without mentioning the very obvious fact that Mr Hemmings was a slave. While this isn't a book that is trying to write social history, it would have taken a sentence or two to acknowledge that the African influences in Southern cooking - in which Jones takes such delight - are owed to a system of enslaved labor. The book would have been strengthened that much more for the acknowledgement.
My one discomfort with the book came with Jones' single-minded devotion to her topic - which sometimes created some awkward moments. In lauding Thomas Jefferson's love of food and agriculture, for example, she makes no reference to the fact that it was slaves who were growing all of Jefferson's much loved crops. She even mentions that Jefferson had "his man," Mr Hemmings, learn to cook from a French chef to better emulate that style back in Virginia - without mentioning the very obvious fact that Mr Hemmings was a slave. While this isn't a book that is trying to write social history, it would have taken a sentence or two to acknowledge that the African influences in Southern cooking - in which Jones takes such delight - are owed to a system of enslaved labor. The book would have been strengthened that much more for the acknowledgement.
February 11, 2020
You develop a love of cooking by watching, absorbing, licking spoons, and asking questions of someone you want to emulate. The aura that such a person conveys is contagious.
We owe a deep debt to Judith Jones. In her work as an editor she brought to publication Anne Frank (!), Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, James Beard, Madhur Jaffrey, Marion Cunningham, Edna Lewis, John Updike and Anne Tyler. And many authors whose names aren't yet familiar to me. She helped in the birthing of so many books, she was kind of a literary doula.
France has allured me since French I in high school. I thrill at the stories of Judith Jones as a young woman in a place that respects food.
We owe a deep debt to Judith Jones. In her work as an editor she brought to publication Anne Frank (!), Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, James Beard, Madhur Jaffrey, Marion Cunningham, Edna Lewis, John Updike and Anne Tyler. And many authors whose names aren't yet familiar to me. She helped in the birthing of so many books, she was kind of a literary doula.
France has allured me since French I in high school. I thrill at the stories of Judith Jones as a young woman in a place that respects food.
But what seemed so rewarding, as we drove through the Loire countryside, was stopping for lunch or dinner and finding in every village a small bistro where the food was prepared to order with care and with simple, good ingredients: a homemade pâté or maybe rillettes; a thick, meaty soup; a sautéed freshly caught trout; a flavorful, slightly chewy entrecôte; beautifully made French fries; and always good local cheese.
April 21, 2008
This is a fascinating autobiography of one of the great editors in cooking. A friend let me borrow it because the author spends time up in the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont and thought I would be interested.
Judith was the editor for Julia Child and others. She and her husband Evan brought french cooking into the mainstream. (as well as Thai, Indian, Chinese and American) Her commentary later in the book about how American's taste in food is being manipulated by marketing is on target. She quotes "Fast Food Nation" and relays a vignette how a child in her care defined macaroni & cheese by the Kraft/Annie model....in a box with powdered cheese. Said child did not like her homemade version cooked with real butter, vermont cheddar and fresh bread crumbs. Sad. I will say her descriptions of tripe left me squeamish. Some French cooking is very gamey...the end of the book includes some of her very favorite recipes. Fun to read if you like to cook....
Judith was the editor for Julia Child and others. She and her husband Evan brought french cooking into the mainstream. (as well as Thai, Indian, Chinese and American) Her commentary later in the book about how American's taste in food is being manipulated by marketing is on target. She quotes "Fast Food Nation" and relays a vignette how a child in her care defined macaroni & cheese by the Kraft/Annie model....in a box with powdered cheese. Said child did not like her homemade version cooked with real butter, vermont cheddar and fresh bread crumbs. Sad. I will say her descriptions of tripe left me squeamish. Some French cooking is very gamey...the end of the book includes some of her very favorite recipes. Fun to read if you like to cook....
August 30, 2017
I didn't have to be a master chef to enjoy this book, which I gave to my mother some years ago and now have read myself after learning of Ms. Jones' death. This is a wonderful gastronomical travelogue by a woman who lead a fascinating life as editor-not just of Julia Child but her professionalism extends to the Diary of Ann Frank. Her tidbits of visiting with Paul and Julia Child in France are memorable. I loved her Christmastime trip to Hawaii. Again, my talents are proscribed by the frozen food section and too often a microwave, but I can dream and Ms. Jones' life provides a delicious roadmap.
July 10, 2018
A sumptuous journey through cusines, experiments, food writing, and anecdotes of culinary giants, albeit oozing out privilege. Made me hungry, made be cook better.
January 12, 2009
This book had a lot of And then I did this And then I did that. Boring. Just like how food critiques should talk about the food, and not just say it was good, this book should've talked more about her experiences and not that she just had lots of them. I would've loved if she went deeper into her friendship with Beard or Childs, but nothing, nada, zilch. There were hints of a story that maybe lasted a paragraph, but overall the only thing I'll take away from this book are the 5 recipes I'll actually make that are featured in the back. Ho hum I say!
April 1, 2009
A short book - about 200 pages - this is a memoir of the editor of many cookbook authors, including Julia Child. My favorite parts were when Mrs. Jones shared her philosophies about food and how it connects us to nature and to our history. She is also very encouraging about being inventive in using the items you have on hand and not worrying about following someone else's recipe. It is a bit like she has sat down with you in the kitchen to chat about her experiences, which are fascinating, but leave you wanting more.
March 12, 2010
Great fun! An American girl who graduated from college in the protective (for females) 50's, then finagled not only a trip to Paris, but a temporary job there, then met the two loves of her life; the first a married (!) man, the second French food. She became increasingly sophisticated through living in Paris. Learning to cook great meals seems to have happened almost accidentally. Then, a job as an editor leads to food criticism, then helping edit Julia Child's books. An amazing story of a fully lived life. Yeah, I'm envious.
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