Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a two-volume French cookbook written by Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, both of France, and Julia Child of the United States. The book was written for the American market and published by Knopf in 1961 (Volume 1) and 1970 (Volume 2). The success of Volume 1 resulted in Julia Child being given her own television show, "The French Chef", one of the first cooking programs on American television. Historian David Strauss argues that the publication of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", "did more than any other event in the last half century to reshape the gourmet dining scene."
Celebrity chef
Described as America's first celebrity chef, Julia Child first appeared on American television in 1963 on the Boston-based WGBH-TV. She soon starred in her own show "The French Chef", which was followed by other shows. At the time of her death she was credited by the media as having "demystified the art of cuisine for the home cook and inspired many of today's celebrity chefs". Such was her impact on American cuisine, her kitchen has been preserved on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.