She might be our cooking idol, but there’s more to Julia Child than perfect beef bourguignon and cherry clafoutis. Here, ten surprising, touching and just plain sweet facts that prove she was pretty much Wonder Woman, both in and out of the kitchen.
9 Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Julia Child
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Published Nov 21, 2017
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1. She Was 6’2” Tall
Surprise! Julia Child was champion of the Smith College basketball team. Later, when she and her husband, Paul, bought a home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they installed taller-than-average countertops (smart lady).
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2. She Was A Spy In World War Ii
Child began as a research assistant at the Office of Strategic Services (basically the CIA 1.0) and worked her way up the ladder, meeting her future husband—who was working as an officer—in the process. Talk about a real-life superhero.
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3. She Helped Develop Shark Repellent For The Navy
While she was serving her country, sharks kept attacking naval officers. Not one to wait in the wings, Child casually teamed up with scientists to develop a fix. (And it worked…NBD.)
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4. She Sucked At Cooking Until She Was In Her Mid-30s
And by bad, we mean lived-off-frozen-TV-dinners
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5. It Took Her Nine Years To Publish Her First Cookbook
She didn’t become our cooking idol overnight, people. Thank goodness she held strong through nine whole years of research, rewrites and rejections.
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6. The First Thing She Cooked On Tv Was An Omelet
During her first TV appearance on WGBH in Boston, Child brilliantly promoted Mastering the Art of French Cooking by whipping up eggs on screen. It was a huge hit, and she landed a contract with the channel shortly after.
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7. She Survived Breast Cancer
We have much more to thank her for than the best French onion soup recipe in the universe. After she survived a mastectomy, she became vocal about her operation to remove the stigma for other women.
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8. She Has A Rose Named After Her
Appropriately, it’s the color of melted butter. It’s known for its sweet licorice fragrance and constantly blooming flowers.
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9. She Used Hundreds Of Pounds Of Butter On The Set Of Her Tv Show
According to PBS, she cooked with 753 pounds of butter while filming Baking with Julia. Not that anyone was counting.
