FRENCH COOKING CLASS

PUBLIC BROADCASTER FOUND A WAY AFTER A WHILE

By PETER THOMAS BUSCH

French cooking never got such good treatment as that given by Julia Child.

Sarah Lancashire performs the real Julia Child behind the cookbook and the cooking show in the 8 episode streaming series Julia (2022).

Julia is soon joined by her husband, Paul, played by David Hyde Pierce, and dear friend, Avis DeVoto, played by Bebe Neuwirth.

And not to be forgotten, back in France is Julia’s cooking partner with whom she collaborated with for the cookbook recipes, Simone ‘Simca’ Beck, played by Isabella Rossellini.

Simca recurs throughout the series by way of telephone when Julia needs to move forward with a cooking issue and needs Simca’s genuine advice.

Britney Bradford plays the producer of the show, Alice Naman. Alice thought that having Julia on a book review show was a good idea. But Alice also then tucked her foot in the door so that Julia would get her own television series about French cooking.

The public broadcaster suffices as a microcosm of network broadcasting on a number of entertainment issues, such as the inability to fund pet projects and getting green lights in their head when viewers write letters in about how much they liked the show.

Nothing can go forward without Julia’s voluntary contributions, though, such as buying the groceries for the cooking program. The network builds the kitchen and dining room set, but Julia has to haul in her own groceries for each episode.

Lancashire shows how Julia had a great character and a great wit about her with many of the comic relief moments in the television show being planned overtures to engage with the audience.

The French Chef is not all about television though. Julia has good relationships with a few close friends as well as her husband. These relationships develop over the course of the series with the little details about why they are who they are gradually being revealed.

Paul has been let go from his diplomatic job in France. So, the couple return to the United States and begin living off Julia’s royalties from the cookbook, which she shares with Simca.

Painting and photography fills Paul’s early retirement days, but then after an initial rejection, he embraces and becomes fully involved in Julia’s French cooking show.

The happy couple go through some bumps and turns, but they clearly love each other happily everafter.

Julia is another spin on Julia Child that becomes rather endearing despite everyone already knowing the true to life story, long time ago now.

Julia is an HBOMAX production streaming on Crave in Canada.