She was a history major, a New York advertising copywriter and a researcher for the U.S. Secret Service.  But she will always be remembered as the woman who brought French food to America.

This week marks the 100th birthday of Julia Child, co-author of one of the most influential cookbooks in history. Her masterpiece, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, inspired generations of home cooks and professional chefs, it spawned a pioneering concept - cooking on television - and it was even the subject of an entertaining feature film, Julie & Julia, in which another great dame, Meryl Streep, plays Julia Child.

We live in a "foodie culture" today, where chefs reign supreme, diners photograph their plates in restaurants and there are more cookbooks and cooking shows than you can shake a spatula at.

In November of 1999, Julia Child was in Toronto to promote a new cookbook she co-authored with French-born chef Jacque Pépin, Cooking at Home with Jacques and Julia.  She came to the CBC during that book tour and spoke with Michael. 

We're happy to revisit that conversation. She died in 2004, just two days shy of turning 92 years old.
.