Oh Simca

Simca’s Cuisine [Simone ‘Simca’ Beck]

Isabella Rossellini is 'happier as an older person'

Isabella Rossellini is ‘happier as an older person’

Actress Isabella Rossellini, 69, says she is “happier as an older person”. (Photo: Stéphane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) At 69, Isabella Rossellini loves life. In fact, the beloved actress says she’s happier than ever. In a new interview with The Sunday Timesthe star of stage and screen, who plays cookbook author Simca Beck in the new series Juliareminisces about the ups and downs…

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Book Discussion: My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Publisher: Knopf Pages: 333 Genres: Non-Fiction, Autobiography/Biography, Memoir, Food & Drink, Cultural

Related Reading: The French Chef in America by Alex Prud’homme As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis de Voto, Edited by Joan Reardon Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 and 2 by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck From Julia Child’s Kitchen by Julia and Paul Child Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

I’ve talked about Julia Child multiple times before, but I promise it’s for good reason. Although I did not grow up in the time of her reign, it goes without saying (since I’ve said it everywhere else) that her story and career have effected me in some way, shape, or form. I’m not even entirely sure where to start with discussing it.

My Life in France was first published in 2006 by Knopf, the same publishing house that helped bring Julia’s magnum opus, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, into the world. Written in collaboration with her grand-nephew Alex Prud’homme (her husband Paul’s twin brother’s son), My Life in France describes in detail Julia’s years in the country, starting from her very first steps in La Havre, 1948. Alongside her adoring husband, Paul – whom Julia also describes this book as a “love letter” to – each new adventure, each new experience, each new dish consumed and cooked is documented ad nauseam from their 13 years in Europe thanks in part to saved letters written between family, journals, and so much more that have been revisited for this purpose. The book also does graciously include personal photographs (taken mostly by Paul) that give My Life in France and Julia’s story much more charm, as many have not been seen elsewhere.

Let me just start by saying this: I have very split reactions about this book.

On the downside... I discovered that, although she is a marvelous cook and charismatic television personality, Julia Child is incredibly intense. The way she approaches all that she sets her mind out to do (like writing a cookbook or two) are done so with extreme determination, voracious research, and to the utmost degree of completion. While these are, of course, qualities to be admired in others, when it is those aspects discussed in novel form... it is just too much. Too much to read over and over for three-hundred-plus pages. Although it is a different part of her life each time, you can only read so much about how a morsel of food tastes, the steps in development or preparation of a recipe, or other such culinary ventures that Julia took part in. I know as a chef (and as myself a chef of sorts) that all of this is very much a part of her life and her legacy. But at times I just had to put the book down and walk away for a while – which explains why it took me so long to read it. Her madness over the perfection and other such details when cooking, especially so when developing recipes with Simca and Louisette for Mastering the Art of French Cooking, combined with every single smidgen of every memory recalled while in France, it is really enough to drive a person crazy.

Positively, despite this, I will say that I gained a much greater appreciation for Julia Child as a culinary master and as a human being; I believe this to be the perfect book to spearhead my own culinary endeavors. Most importantly, I realized how much she and I are alike – primarily as chefs and in relation to food, but also a few instances as to who we are as people. We were both late bloomers upon entering the culinary world; we both marvel at delicious, well-crafted food and enjoy eating it equally as much; and we both are quite fond of learning new things in this life, especially as it relates to cooking. Funny enough, we both even suffer(ed) from stomach problems. As I made my way through My Life in France, I often smiled to myself when reading passages wherein I saw so much of myself in Julia Child, our shared sense of optimism and adventure especially. Knowing that I share something more personal with Julia gives the book just enough redemption to not only help me finish reading it (though I never leave a started book unfinished), but also enough to say I think I did enjoy reading it. Plus: she had a niece named Rachel and that sort of coincidence is always fun.

Being on both ends of the spectrum – loving a book while also kind of despising it – I’m not sure I want to read the follow up novel, The French Chef in America: Julia Child’s Second Act, which was written solely by her grand-nephew (published in 2016). I’ve definitely had enough Julia Child to last me for a while. For me, My Life in France was a more important read here, and not just because Julia herself had a hand in writing it. In my eyes, her years in France were what shaped who she was/is and created the inspirational woman we all recognize by name. The fact that it was, in part, a travelogue of France (and a few other parts of Europe) was merely an added bonus. My Life in France was about Julia and Paul, and who they are/were as a couple. It was about Julia’s thirst for something more in her life, and Paul’s undying support for every venture she undertook. The French Chef in America, while I’m sure equally as pertinent to her later life, it is more in regards to coping with her celebrity and her impact on others after reaching post-cookbook fame and in the prime of her television show. I’m sure it is a very good continuation of her story, as it does pick up right where My Life in France left off, but my interests in Julia’s story were much more so about a marvelous French-style chef and how she came to be, not so much her television persona. Through My Life in France, you uncover why people loved her, and why she had so many people she could and did work with. But that was achieved by simply describing her day to day excursions. In reading the beginnings of The French Chef in America online (through Google Books), Prud’homme has naturally changed the narrative to third person and, while he is family, to me it just becomes another biography – though a much more well-informed one – and it doesn’t feel the same. Not to mention, it sounds like it would be very similar to My Life in France in the sense that it would be a book about producing a television show. Different source material, but same problem as the first.

MY OFFICIAL RATING ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

This was the perfect book to have read at the beginning of my own culinary endeavors, but I am also so glad to be done with it. Every detail, every memory, the way she approaches life and her work is both inspiring and crazy. I realized that my affinity for Julia not only stems from our shared love of food and cooking, but also our vast similarities. I found it fascinating all the people Julia was acquainted with – like James Beard, Jacques Pepin – as well as the numerous people in every city she lived that she was able to connect with (at the markets, in restaurants, etc.), and you do realize that she was very much a force to be reckoned with. And an intense inspiration to many people.

In reality, though, this book is not so much about her life in France, but rather more related to how her first cookbook came to be. And unfortunately a book about publishing a book and all that it involves... is pretty damn boring. Take out much of that content and I think I could have enjoyed the book much more. But once writing the cookbook was all that she was doing, my interest waned, and I just wanted to be done with reading it.

ABOUT JULIA CHILD & ALEX PRUD’HOMME (from front of book)

Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II; afterward she lived in Paris, studied at the Cordon Bleu, and taught cooking with Simone (Simca) Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston’s WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made Julia Child a national celebrity,earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Several public television shows and numerous cookbooks followed. She died in 2004.

Alex Prud’homme, Paul Child’s grandnephew, is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, and People. He is the author of The Cell Game and the co-author (with Michael Cherkasky) of Forewarned. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Julie & Julia (2009)

Biography, Drama, Romance |

Julie & Julia is a American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her culinary career with the life of young New Yorker Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s cookbook in 365 days, a challenge she described on her popular blog that made her a published author.

Ephron’s screenplay is based on two books: My Life in France, Child’s autobiography written with Alex Prud’homme, and a memoir by Powell, Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. Both of these books were written and published between 2004 and 2006.

Julia Child – 1950s

In the 1950s, Julia Child, an enthusiastic and unabashed woman, moves to Paris with her diplomat husband, Paul Child. She attends Le Cordon Bleu to learn French cooking, and is initially met with skepticism as she is the only woman in the class. Madame Elizabeth Brassart, the proprietress of the school and Child clash. She is undaunted however, and begins collaborating on a book about French cooking for American housewives with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle.

Julie Powell – 2002

In 2002, Julie Powell is a young writer with an unpleasant job at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s call center, where she answers telephone calls from victims of the September 11 attacks and members of the general public complaining about the LMDC’s controversial plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center. She is discontented with this, and is disheartened at watching her acquaintances succeed in their own professions. She is happily married to Eric Powell, a writer for a magazine.

Director: Nora Ephron

Writers: Nora Ephron (screenplay), Julie Powell (book), Julia Child (book), Alex Prud’homme (book)

Stars: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond, Helen Carey, Mary Lynn Rajskub

►Cast:

Meryl Streep…Julia ChildAmy Adams…Julie PowellStanley Tucci…Paul ChildChris Messina…Eric PowellLinda Emond…Simone BeckHelen Carey…Louisette BertholleMary Lynn Rajskub…SarahJane Lynch…Dorothy McWilliamsJoan Juliet Buck…Madame BrassartCrystal McCreary…Ernestine (as Crystal Noelle)George Bartenieff…Chef Max BugnardVanessa Ferlito…CassieCasey Wilson…ReginaJillian Bach…AnnabelleAndrew Garman…John O’BrienMichael Brian Dunn…Ivan CousinsRemak Ramsay…John McWilliamsDiane Kagan…Phila McWilliamsPamela Stewart…Instructor at Le Cordon BleuJeff Brooks…MinisterFrances Sternhagen…Irma RombauerBrooks Ashmanskas…Mr. MisherEric Sheffer Stevens…TimBrian Avers…GarthKacie Sheik…AnnetteMegan Byrne…Woman at the PartyDeborah Rush…Avis De VotoHelen Coxe…Dorothy De SantillanaAmanda Hesser…SelfMaryann Urbano…Dinner GuestSimon Jutras…Dinner GuestFelicity Jones…Dinner GuestMeg Kettell…Simca’s ConciergeStephen Bogardus…Scott McLeodByron Jennings…Houghton Mifflin ExecutiveKelly AuCoin…Houghton Mifflin ExecutiveRichard Bekins…Houghton Mifflin ExecutiveLuc Palun…The Chestnut VendorRémy Roubakha…Oyster ManMarceline Hugot…Madame BernheimErin Dilly…Judith JonesRobert Emmet Lunney…Bill KoshlandGuiesseppe Jones…MailmanJeff Talbott…InterrogatorJohnny Sparks…InterrogatorSimon Feil…GIPaul Borghese…GIMark Gindick…GID.L. Shroder…GIDarin De Paul…GITom Galantich…American AmbassadorAllyn Burrows…Waiter in Paris CaféCenovia Cummins…Musician at the WeddingMaxim Moston…Musician at the WeddingShmuel Katz…Musician at the WeddingPaul Ognissanti…Musician at the WeddingEric G. Halvorson…Musician at the WeddingJulia Prud’homme…Bridge TeacherDimitri Radochevitch…Fish MongerEmmanuel Suarez…BakerChristelle Cornil…Baker’s WifeFrançoise Lebrun…Baker’s MotherTeddy Bergman…Cobb Salad WaiterJean-Pierre Becker…Fruit Store OwnerMark Wilkins…ButcherJamie Hall…Cheese GuyFrancesco David…ButcherDenise Marie Whalen…Dancer (as Denise M. Whalen)Luis Villabon…DancerValentine Aprile…DancerAlexander Brady…DancerRoy William Gardner…Exhibit GuestDianne Dreyer…American HousewifeEvelyn Taucher…Hat-Making TeacherMary Kay Place…Julie’s Mom (voice)Gerard Adimando…Diplomat at the WeddingDan Aykroyd…SelfKrizia Bajos…Woman at DanceIra Berkowitz…Paris Train PorterBeth Campbell…Bridge PlayerLou D’Amato…French BureaucratSteve Dash…Hotel GuestFrancis Dumaurier…Looping Voices (voice)Lindsay Felton…Woman with American AmbassadorVivian Kalinov…Office WorkerTimothy Knock…Dancing Party Guest / Gallery ObserverCorby Kummer…Guest at Embassy PartyAlyssa Lakota…French Maid ServerFran Lieu…Dinner GuestJudy Malka…French ModelDesiree Matthews…Dinner GuestLauren McCune…Restaurant PatronTrish McGettrick…Wedding GuestJackie Prucha…Office WorkerMike Quinn…Man at DancePeter Riga…Wedding GuestRobert Sciglimpaglia…Railroad CommuterStacey Scotte…Cooking Show GuestHarry L. Seddon…New York City Subway ConductorKent Sladyk…Paris Train Porter

Sources: imdb & wikipedia

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Julia Child (Karen Janes Woditsch, left) and Paul Child (Craig Spidle)

Juli Child enters her first French restaurant in France, nervously

Julia Child (Karen Janes Woditsch, left) is schooled in the delicate art of cooking scrambled eggs by Le Cordon Bleu instructor Chef Max Bugnard (Terry Hamilton) i

Julia Child (Karen Janes Woditsch, left) and her collaborator Simone “Simca” Beck (Jeannie Affelder, right) have passionate debates about the recipes th

Julia Child (Karen Janes Woditsch, left) and her book editorJudith Jones (Juliet Hart) celebrate the completion of Julia’s first cookboo

This play about cookbook author Julia Child is a recipe for how not to do online theater. “To Master the Art” falls flat, despite some great ingredients. This is not how I expected to react. Forced to spend more time at home, and no time in restaurants, I’ve rediscovered the kitchen….What was evident from the outset was the quality of the cast led by Karen Janes Woditsch… But the workmanlike script of “To Master the Art” by William Brown and Doug Frew goes over much the same story as the 2009 Nora Ephron film “Julie & Julia” (minus the Julie part, thank Heaven.) ….Meryl Streep’s Oscar-nominated performance as Julia Child in the movie is currently available on Netflix.

Full review on DC Theatre Scene soon

To Master The Art Review: Julia Childs Again, This Time Online This play about cookbook author Julia Child is a recipe for how not to do online theater.

It’s a contemplative Saturday and perfect for comfort food. #organic #tomato #roastedgarlic #provence #cafe #coffee #saturday A long time ago when I first started cooking, I voraciously read Julia Childs ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and noticed on the cover that it was assisted by a lady named Simoné Beck. I found a little book of hers that I think is called ‘Simca’s Cuisine’. In it she talked about how coffee and oranges are contributing flavors in her Provençal sauce. That is the inspiration for this roasted garlic, pepper and tomato soup ... which by the way uses our Mexican coffee. (at Salt Lake Roasting Co)