Julia on Julie & Julia

When I had my business, Interactive Cuisine, I found the best marketing came from securing press coverage. I did a pretty good job over the years and a few newspapers even referred to me as, “The Other Julia.” Since we both lived in Cambridge, my mentors coached me to work this angle.

A few years into my business, I started hearing about The Julia Project. A woman named Julie was cooking her way through Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking, blogging about, and she was getting tons of press for it. I’ll admit it, I was a little bitter. I should have been writing that blog! And getting all the press!

Julie Powell’s book, Julie & Julia came out a few years later. I obstinately did not look at it, purchase it, much less read it. But a few months ago, when I had credit at the used book store, I decided to get over myself and read it.

I’m glad I did, because it was a fun read! Perhaps, I can appreciate it more now as a fellow food-blogger. I enjoyed the voice she created and her ability to admit to her foibles and quirks. From a cooking perspective, I appreciate the challenges of cooking classically French. I recall learning many of the recipes and techniques in culinary school, and know that they take practice. I wonder now, 17 years after I started cooking professionally, would I be able to successfully cook through Master the Art of French Cooking?

Did you read the book or follow the blog?