Chef Jacques' September Newsletter

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Greetings,

I’m very happy to see that the release of the movie Julie and Julia has sparked a renewed interest not only in the late, great Julia Child but also in classic French cooking. Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is on the bestseller list forty-nine years after it came out. I recommend the movie and her book (of course, the accomplished home chef should have Julia’s and my cookbooks in their collection).  Both Papa and I had the pleasure of meeting Julia Child on a number of occasions and I think Meryl Streep does an excellent job of capturing Julia’s unique joie d’vie in the film.

My favorite memory of Julia is the evening I met her at the Press Club in Washington D.C. I was attending a dinner for the release of my first book and Julia was to give a speech during the meal. A minute into her speech Julia’s dentures began slipping, forcing her to stop every few sentences to stick them back up. Finally, after a few minutes, Julia stopped and shouted, “Is there a dentist in the house?” The room was in stitches and Julia was laughing along with us.

Bringing French classics to America is what made Julia famous, then and now.  Many of the archetypal French dishes that Julia introduced to Americans have been staples at L’Auberge Chez François since we first opened: bouillabaisse, onion soup, skate fish in brown butter, chateaubriand, rack of lamb, and many others. Cuisine trends come and go, but there is a reason that certain foods have withstood the test of time; they’re simply delicious. Chez François has been serving classic French food since Papa first opened in 1954 and our menu hasn’t changed all that much (ok, the prices have gone up a bit). Yet, we’ve managed to keep guests coming back for fifty-five years. Here’s to the classics and vive la France! 

Many of you have asked about my fall cooking class and demonstration schedule. Please visit my website, www.chefjacques.com in the coming days; I’ll be posting the schedule soon.

Love begins in the kitchen,


 

Chef Jacques