Linda took me to see "Julie and Julia" last night as a belated birthday gift. I loved every minute and even snapped this photo of Meryl with my iPhone.It made me think of years ago when I joined IACP and went to my first conference alone. I planned all of my outfits, packed them into my suitcase and off I went. I knew only a handful of people in the food business at that point and I was excited and scared all at the same time. When I saw Jacques Pepin (now a friend) and Julia Child for the first time, I nearly fainted.
All by myself, I remember walking into the very first luncheon that first day of the conference. The room was packed with people. I searched the room for someone I might know but couldn't find a soul. Terror!!! "Get ahold of yourself! You can do it!" I said to myself as I sat in one of the unoccupied chairs at a table with a bunch of complete strangers. They all seemed so important and I was just a young cooking teacher from San Francisco.
Suddenly behind me, there was a very familiar voice, "Is this chair taken?' As I turned around, it was Julia and she was talking to ME! "No," I said, trying to act calm as I swallowed wrong and almost choked on dried-out conference-chicken! "And how are you?" she said as she sat down. We introduced ourselves (like she needed an introduction!) and talked as we ate. I'd grown up in Northampton, Massachusetts which is where she went to college, and my mother cooked for years with her college roommate and dear friend, Charlotte Turgeon, so we had much to talk about. But I hardly ate a thing!
All by myself, I remember walking into the very first luncheon that first day of the conference. The room was packed with people. I searched the room for someone I might know but couldn't find a soul. Terror!!! "Get ahold of yourself! You can do it!" I said to myself as I sat in one of the unoccupied chairs at a table with a bunch of complete strangers. They all seemed so important and I was just a young cooking teacher from San Francisco.
Suddenly behind me, there was a very familiar voice, "Is this chair taken?' As I turned around, it was Julia and she was talking to ME! "No," I said, trying to act calm as I swallowed wrong and almost choked on dried-out conference-chicken! "And how are you?" she said as she sat down. We introduced ourselves (like she needed an introduction!) and talked as we ate. I'd grown up in Northampton, Massachusetts which is where she went to college, and my mother cooked for years with her college roommate and dear friend, Charlotte Turgeon, so we had much to talk about. But I hardly ate a thing!
The next day I saw Julia again in the hallway. I smiled at her and said, Hi Julia, how are you?" thinking she'd never remember me. She said "No Joanne, how are YOU?"
I loved how Julia had a wonderful knack for always giving more than she would ever take!
