This month marks the 20th anniversary of culinary icon Julia Child’s death and the 20th anniversary of Estes Public Relations. It got me thinking about how I began in this industry and how Julia influenced me as a PR professional and cook.
When I was in college, becoming a culinary publicist was not a thing. By sheer luck and persistence, I landed my dream job of using my craft and PR degree to work with celebrity chefs, authors and culinary media who wrote the actual articles that I loved to read. During my first week with the International Associations of Culinary Professionals (IACP), I was told that I would be handling the PR for Julia’s events.
As someone who grew up watching Julia cook on PBS’s The French Chef, I was in awe that I was given the opportunity to work with this culinary legend, which I went on to do for a decade.
To raise awareness and funds for culinary education through the IACP Foundation, Julia cooked with other culinary legends such as Emeril Lagasse, Jacque Pepin, and Martin Yan on stage to a sold-out audience in numerous cities around the country. She lent her name to the Julia Child Cookbook Awards which recognized the best cookbooks around the country and hosted an annual press event at the Rainbow Room in New York, debuting the best new cookbooks. On her 90th birthday celebration, a coast-to-coast 20 city culinary celebration was held honoring Julia. Tom Colicchio, Dean Fearing, Laurent Gras and Tyler Florence were among the star-studded list of chefs who created these special meals honoring Julia and benefiting culinary education. Handling the press for these events was amazing, stressful and surreal.
Not only did I learn a lot about cooking (I will never use margarine again), but I learned that it is never too late to learn. She also gave me the courage to get out of my comfort zone and try new dishes. Even at 80, Julia had a thirst for knowledge, a passion for trying new things, and the energy of someone 30 years her junior. To honor Julia during the 20th anniversary of her death, I raise a glass to all that she did for our nation’s culinary industry, home cooks, chefs, and for all that I learned from her and accomplished because of her. Here’s to 20 more years of Estes Public Relations!
