orig. Julia McWilliams
born Aug. 15, 1912 , Pasadena, Calif., U.S.
died Aug. 13, 2004, Santa Barbara
U.S. cooking expert and television personality.
She lived in Paris after her marriage in 1945, studying at the Cordon Bleu and with a master chef. After cowriting the best-seller Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) and moving to Boston, she created the popular PBS cooking series The French Chef (196373), and later other cooking shows. Through her programs and books, she helped educate the U.S. public about traditional French cuisine and sparked interest in the culinary arts.