Julie and Julia
In autumn 1981, Colgate’s Office of Admission received an unusual package via overnight mail: homemade pasta with fresh dill. Julie Cohen ’86 was applying Early Decision, and she included a taste of a recipe she created. “Did the admissions office eat my pasta?” Cohen wonders today. “Our family ate some at home, and I can tell you it was quite good. [But] will my degree be retroactively rescinded because I got in [through] this devious way by sending food to the admissions officers?” she jokes.
Cohen is now a successful filmmaker, but there was a time when she was planning a culinary career. She and Julia Child, the subject of her new documentary, Julia, have other commonalities as well.
Julie: In high school, Julie started a catering business, having gained experience from doing the family cooking since age 12. “My mom hated to cook, and we all liked to eat, so I was the family chef.”
Julia: Became enamored with food as she started exploring different types of cuisine while living abroad and working for the U.S. Office of Strategic Services after college graduation
Julie: Attended a summer cooking program in Annecy, France, before her senior year of high school. The other women in the program, who’d had professional experience in the food world, talked Julie out of entering the field because it could be so grueling, “particularly for women.”
Julia: Enrolled in Paris’ Le Cordon Bleu (when she and her husband moved to France), joining 11 men in studying under master chef Max Bugnard. In the documentary, interviewees discuss how women were treated badly in cooking school, and the teachers were mostly European male chefs who would rather not have women in their kitchens.
Julie: Discovered French food when it became popular in the U.S. in the ’60s and ’70s, largely because of Julia Child’s work. Julie enjoyed eating crêpes and chocolate mousse. “Soufflé was something I liked to cook a lot. French food was the thing.”
Julia: Wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Knopf, 1961) with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. The cookbook introduced French cuisine to mainstream America and resulted in Julia getting her first cooking show, The French Chef.
Julie: With co-director Betsy West, Julie has made a career of highlighting trailblazing women in their films. Up next for the duo: a documentary about former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.
Julia: Was an outspoken proponent of Planned Parenthood, and she changed her homophobic views to being an advocate for gay rights after her attorney died of AIDS. Her longest-lasting influence, though, was firing up Americans’ interest in food. “Julia paved the way for this incredible moment of food and pop culture, making this domestic profession something extremely popular,” chef Marcus Samuelsson says in the film.
Julie: Husband Paul Barrett has been by her side for almost 23 years. “He is not just supportive but also always enthusiastic about my career. I would put him in the category of ‘super awesome feminist husband.’”
Julia: Paul Child happily stepped aside as his wife took center stage, which was rare in an era when most husbands played the leading role in the relationship. While Julia was on TV, he was in the background ready to assist, dicing mushrooms or washing dishes. Beforehand, he’d make sure she was prepared, doing research or writing cue cards. “I wouldn’t be doing anything if I weren’t with him because he has been a wonderful support and encourager,” Julia is quoted as saying in the documentary.
Julia airs on CNN this May and can be rented/ purchased for streaming online.