The Julia Child Challenge - General Discussion

[Yeah No]

Food Network - Home cooks and Julia Child superfans cook their way through some of Julia's most iconic recipes as they attempt to win an all-expense paid three-month cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu.

[Yeah No]

Is anyone watching this?  I thought the first episode was very good.  Finally, a cooking competition that honors Julia and is done in a tasteful way.  Antonia Lofaso is head judge, featured in the first episode with Michael Voltaggio and Francis Lam.  I read that there might be other judges featured in future episodes.

[libgirl2]

I really enjoyed it being a big Julia Child fan. She was part of my childhood. The chefs are amazing. I loved how they sat around the table all together ala Julia. 

I can't wait for the next episode. 

[Yeah No]

42 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I really enjoyed it being a big Julia Child fan. She was part of my childhood. The chefs are amazing. I loved how they sat around the table all together ala Julia. 

I can't wait for the next episode. 

I know, me too!  I had the rare experience of watching her very first episode on PBS way back when I was 5 years old, and pretty much every subsequent episode.  My mother was a big fan of hers already from owning her cookbook.  She found out about the cookbook and upcoming show from reading the New York Times, where she read the food columns regularly.  Also, from the culinary legend James Beard, who was an early fan and friend of Julia's.  I have a very deep and personal connection to Julia in many different ways.  It's only recently that it's dawning on me how many of her dishes my mother cooked regularly, and well (she was a gifted cook).  When I watch Julia's shows now I recognize many of the pans and utensils because my mother bought anything Julia used, even some of the French stuff that she had to go down to a little shop in Manhattan to buy.  She even had that dish towel with the bright colors.  I found it in my parents' apartment after they died and kept it.  Yeah, it's that deep.  So it goes without saying that this show is right up my street!

[mlp]

I'm glad to see a forum for this show.  I loved it.  FN managed to attract some really talented cooks and the show itself is edited well IMO.  I wonder if they're going to have the same judges throughout.  I like Antonia but she seems like an odd choice for this show because her cooking style is so different from Julia Child's.  I especially like that they're keeping the focus on the cooking and not throwing in stupid twists.

[Yeah No]

32 minutes ago, mlp said:

I'm glad to see a forum for this show.  I loved it.  FN managed to attract some really talented cooks and the show itself is edited well IMO.  I wonder if they're going to have the same judges throughout.  I like Antonia but she seems like an odd choice for this show because her cooking style is so different from Julia Child's.  I especially like that they're keeping the focus on the cooking and not throwing in stupid twists.

Between this and actually seeing Eric Ripert on the most recent episode of Tournament of Champions, I almost feel like there's hope for the Food Network yet!  I've noticed a recent resurgence of shows featuring Julia, from an upcoming scripted series on HBO to a film documentary on her life, to the PBS series "Dishing with Julia".  I'm very happy that she is not being forgotten.  I only wish my mother were alive to see it.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really liked the first episode.     

However, the man who went home, and was covering the fish face up because he can't stand to have fish stare at him was interesting.   

When I went to the Smithsonian about 15 years ago, they had the Julia Child kitchen, and I was fascinated.   Her kitchen was so small compared to the house hunting, and remodeling shows, and nothing like the only for show kitchens that others have now.  

From what I've read, Antonia is the only permanent judge, and there will be two guest judges on each episodes.    I didn't recognize Michael Voltaggio until Antonia introduced him.   

I miss seeing Julia Child, and was happy when they showed so much of her show on this show.   The only other place I've seen episodes of the original on Magnolia network, early in the morning. 

Edited March 16, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[MerBearHou]

So glad to see this forum -- I enjoyed this show very much!  It was informative through the Julia videos and my goodness, the guy who won is so talented.  Michael Voltaggio was very wowed by him (I was too).  Speaking of Michael V, he was so warm on this show -- his sort of severe look and serious expressions do not show that he has a really engaging side.  Antonia needs to drastically slow down when she speaks -- I thought "is someone directing her to talk at 100 mph".  

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I really liked the first episode.     

However, the man who went home, and was covering the fish face up because he can't stand to have fish stare at him was interesting.   

When I went to the Smithsonian about 15 years ago, they had the Julia Child kitchen, and I was fascinated.   Her kitchen was so small compared to the house hunting, and remodeling shows, and nothing like the only for show kitchens that others have now.  

From what I've read, Antonia is the only permanent judge, and there will be two guest judges on each episodes.    I didn't recognize Michael Voltaggio until Antonia introduced him.   

I miss seeing Julia Child, and was happy when they showed so much of her show on this show.   The only other place I've seen episodes of the original on Magnolia network, early in the morning. 

I have a channel on one of our free streaming services that will run her show along with the ones she did with Jaques Pepin (who I love too). 

[emmawoodhouse]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Is anyone watching this?  I thought the first episode was very good.  Finally, a cooking competition that honors Julia and is done in a tasteful way.  Antonia Lofaso is head judge, featured in the first episode with Michael Voltaggio and Francis Lam.  I read that there might be other judges featured in future episodes.

Michael and Francis were noted as Guest Judges. I'm curious who else will show up. Hopefully some big names!

I enjoyed Michael's story about meeting Julia. Too funny! 

The cooks are very talented. Can't wait to see what they'll do in future challenges. 

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I miss seeing Julia Child, and was happy when they showed so much of her show on this show.   The only other place I've seen episodes of the original on Magnolia network, early in the morning. 

Pluto is running them too, even has them on "on demand" if you have that.  I think there's an entire channel devoted to her various shows.  And as far as I know, Pluto is free. 

[libgirl2]

11 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Pluto is running them too, even has them on "on demand" if you have that.  I think there's an entire channel devoted to her various shows.  And as far as I know, Pluto is free. 

We do have Pluto. 

[mlp]

Anyone interested in the story of Julia Child's life should read Dearie by Bob Spitz.  It's well-written and I enjoyed it.

[Gramto6]

I missed the first episode, but will watch it on it's Thursday rerun. Will definitely watch going forward. Love watching Julia Child!

[libgirl2]

27 minutes ago, mlp said:

Anyone interested in the story of Julia Child's life should read Dearie by Bob Spitz.  It's well-written and I enjoyed it.

I work at a library and in the days we were closed for the pandemic, we had to do things like attend webinars, blog, use one of our databases and write a report. After having it up to here with webinars, I checked out out Hoopla database and watched a documentary about Julia. I really enjoyed it. I ended up writing a report and blogging about it. 

[kathyk24]

I loved this as well. It was great seeing the old clips of Julia. I thought it was interesting having the contestants and the judges eat together

[kirklandia]

I loved the family table. And loved that the competing chefs served their dishes to everyone, not just the judges.  They  got to taste each other's dishes, and it felt so much more civilized than the typical food competition shows.

Edited March 17, 2022 by kirklandia

[libgirl2]

13 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I loved the family table. And loved that the competing chefs served their dishes to everyone, not just the judges.  They  got to taste each other's dishes, and it felt so much more civilized than the typical food competition shows.

Civilized, that is the word. It is a reason we stopped watching Masterchef. I got sick of the judges belittling people, yelling, throwing meals in the garbage in addition to the awful behavior of some of the contestants. The show seemed to encourage the name calling and swearing. I haven't watched it in years. 

[Rammchick]

24 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Civilized, that is the word. It is a reason we stopped watching Masterchef. I got sick of the judges belittling people, yelling, throwing meals in the garbage in addition to the awful behavior of some of the contestants. The show seemed to encourage the name calling and swearing. I haven't watched it in years. 

Same.  I dumped both Masterchef and Hell's Kitchen for those reasons (*read Gordon Ramsay*, although I like his Nat Geo show).  

But getting back to the matter at hand, apparently when Julia found out about Julie ("Julie and Julia"), she got quite sniffy about someone getting notoriety from cooking her recipes.  I would hope she'd appreciate how much influence she's had on home cooks, and how respectful this show is.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Civilized, that is the word. It is a reason we stopped watching Masterchef. I got sick of the judges belittling people, yelling, throwing meals in the garbage in addition to the awful behavior of some of the contestants. The show seemed to encourage the name calling and swearing. I haven't watched it in years. 

And yet those shows feel tame and civilized by comparison with the newest crop of loud, obnoxious and gimmicky cooking competitions, like "Rat in the Kitchen" (Ludo Lefebvre) and "Next Level Chef" (Gordon R.) that really have zero to do with actual cooking.  Thank goodness this show came on the scene right afterward!

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

And yet those shows feel tame and civilized by comparison with the newest crop of loud, obnoxious and gimmicky cooking competitions, like "Rat in the Kitchen" (Ludo Lefebvre) and "Next Level Chef" (Gordon R.) that really have zero to do with actual cooking.  Thank goodness this show came on the scene right afterward!

Ugh, I don't even know about those shows. I like shows like this or GBBO that are civilized and kind. I like the various seasonal baking shows on FN. Molly might be annoying but I prefer her over Gordon Ramsey. And I like some of the innovative shows like that baking engineering show which was quite fun. The main thread is be kind. 

[zoey1996]

One of our local bistros features French comfort food, and tvs above their bar area show Julia Child cooking shows on a continuous loop. Great to watch!

Really enjoyed the first show, which I watched on demand since I missed it. They are now set up so I can watch every one! 

Edited March 18, 2022 by zoey1996

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

One of our local bistros features French comfort food, and tvs above their bar area show Julia Child cooking shows on a continuous loop. Great to watch!

How fun! I'd be eating there a lot.

Someone gave me the Julie and Julia book as a gift knowing my love of Julia Child. My memory is that Julia Child thought Julie was a little crazy for trying to get through the recipes in The Art of French Cooking in a year. I found Julie to be quite self-absorbed and full of herself.

I spent over an hour in Julia's kitchen in the Smithsonian Museum of American History when it reopened after remodeling many years ago. I highly recommend Julia's My Life in France if you haven't read it.

I've set the DVR to record this show.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I spent over an hour in Julia's kitchen in the Smithsonian Museum of American History when it reopened after remodeling many years ago.

I'm envious!  I was all set for a trip down there to see it when the pandemic hit and I haven't been able to reschedule it yet.  I know it was closed for a while and still might be open on a limited schedule.

[starri]

I adore that their aprons have the L'Ecole des trois gourmands badge on them.

[Bastet]

This sounded to me like a competitive reality show version of Julie & Julia, a movie I adore, so I was immediately interested upon reading about it recently.  I only make a few of Julia Child's recipes regularly, but I enjoyed her show and, best yet, was seated near her twice in restaurants and had a terrific time eavesdropping -- she was a hoot.  It's always nice to see her celebrated.

I enjoyed the format of this, especially everyone sitting around to share the meal.  It's cute how the judges stuck to the positive at the table, telling Dustin his nearly-raw dough and half-cooked apples "could have been cooked more" but it's a good idea and flavor combination.

They did a great job of incorporating clips of Julia's show. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Bastet

[Cetacean]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:18 PM, libgirl2 said:

Civilized, that is the word.

What a lovely show.  A competition but so very low key with no nastiness at all. 

I, too, love to see them all sitting down together at the end to dine together and offer their thoughts.  Interesting takes on classic recipes.

[libgirl2]

When I was little, my great grandmother made a fish soup so I was drooling over the one that Jaine made. It reminded me most of it. Another wonderful episode. 

[MsMalin]

Finally! A class act show with real talent. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most food shows but this one is in a class by itself!

[libgirl2]

39 minutes ago, MsMalin said:

Finally! A class act show with real talent. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most food shows but this one is in a class by itself!

It really is. I have to say, I got a kick out of Elena when they were all at the table. She was really enjoying the food, no dainty bites. I thought it was really cute. And I do like the fact that they can all try the food but any critiques are for the judges though they do throw in compliments. 

[Frost]

This is my new favorite FN show.  There's just enough personal details from the chefs to make them "people" but not to make the show a personality contest.  The focus is on the food.  I am also a fan of the variety of dishes.  It's not just baking desserts.  Some of them are making entire meals!   The family dining idea is wonderful.  It highlights the joy food can bring.  The camaraderie food can foster. 

Please FN, don't F*** this up by adding contrived drama!

[Bastet]

I knew it would be Christine going home; she always makes too many things and none of them come out great. 

I agree with the judges that Jaíne has some of the same personality traits as Julia.

Every episode, I wish I was at that table.  They make really good food, and seem to have a good time sharing it.  The judges gave more critique at the table this episode than in the first one, even though there were mistakes the first episode, too; I don't know if it was in the editing, or if they really did ease them in like that.   

[libgirl2]

31 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I knew it would be Christine going home; she always makes too many things and none of them come out great. 

I agree with the judges that Jaíne has some of the same personality traits as Julia.

Every episode, I wish I was at that table.  They make really good food, and seem to have a good time sharing it.  The judges gave more critique at the table this episode than in the first one, even though there were mistakes the first episode, too; I don't know if it was in the editing, or if they really did ease them in like that.   

I have been saying that since the moment I saw her. Something about her. Of course there is the height, but even the way she stands and talks (regardless of the accent).... 

Edited March 22, 2022 by libgirl2

[MerBearHou]

I laughed at how clear it was that Molly and Fabrizio had little crushes on each other!  I've never seen her before.  

I also laughed a little that the camera person (editing monkeys) sure kept focusing on Elena and her bites.  

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I laughed at how clear it was that Molly and Fabrizio had little crushes on each other!  I've never seen her before.  

I also laughed a little that the camera person (editing monkeys) sure kept focusing on Elena and her bites.  

It made me smile to see her dig right in! 

Edited March 22, 2022 by libgirl2

[Rammchick]

I thought it was funny that every time someone said "Jaine", they pronounced it differently.  So what is the correct pronunciation of her name?

[Cetacean]

9 hours ago, Rammchick said:

So what is the correct pronunciation of her name?

I wondered that myself.

[jrzy]

On 3/17/2022 at 11:18 AM, libgirl2 said:

Civilized, that is the word. It is a reason we stopped watching Masterchef. I got sick of the judges belittling people, yelling, throwing meals in the garbage in addition to the awful behavior of some of the contestants. The show seemed to encourage the name calling and swearing. I haven't watched it in years. 

I love the respect shown to everyone,  its so refreshing.  Really one of the reasons I stick with Top Chef year after year is that for the most part, the chefs respect one another,  there's no producer influenced drama and no villains.  There doesn't have to be a villain for us to enjoy a competition.  

[mlp]

This is a lovely show and, like everyone else, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  I wonder if they have a different group of producers from the ones who do the usual FN competitions or if they just decided to be respectful of an icon.  I've been sort of afraid they were going to throw in a twist or something.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

This is a lovely show and, like everyone else, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  I wonder if they have a different group of producers from the ones who do the usual FN competitions or if they just decided to be respectful of an icon.  I've been sort of afraid they were going to throw in a twist or something.

I hope not! 

[Ms Lark]

Ah ha! So glad to see a forum for this show. I love it! I gave up on Spring Baking because, meh. Molly is way too cute and perky and it's just been done to death. I too hate the cut-throat competitions with screaming chefs and villains.

So civilized and such a tribute to Julia. Good guest chefs coming on to judge. I always liked Antonia; was one of my favs on her Top Chef season. I'm just enjoying it so much! French cooking is not my forte, but I love seeing it done well. Is the Food Network getting more selective? One can only hope! Stay true to Julia!!

[schnauzergirl]

Such a joy!  I do watch some of the cut-throat competitions and was a bit wary of this at first.  What a pleasure to watch people cooking calmly and with respect.  Antonia is doing a fantastic job as are the other judges.  I wonder if there's a chance for this to be more than a one series deal.  And I do love the table gathering at the end.  Civilization as we know it is alive and well on that set.  (Side note: Nice not to hear Guy shrieking when he introduces Antonia as "the Warrior Princess.")

[starri]

While I don't think she's going to win, Elena might be emerging as my favorite.  She's adorably dorky, the proposal to her wife was cute, and despite what's clearly a lot of anxiety, she seems determined to have fun.

And her utter lack of shame of taking big bites of things.

While I know doing so well in the first thing saved her, I felt really bad for Britt.  She clearly knew what she was doing (Christina, frankly, didn't), and just had lousy luck with the piece of chicken.  

This is the first American competition show that really replicates the experience of watching GBBO, That's the highest possible praise I can give it.

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, starri said:

While I don't think she's going to win, Elena might be emerging as my favorite.  She's adorably dorky, the proposal to her wife was cute, and despite what's clearly a lot of anxiety, she seems determined to have fun.

And her utter lack of shame of taking big bites of things.

While I know doing so well in the first thing saved her, I felt really bad for Britt.  She clearly knew what she was doing (Christina, frankly, didn't), and just had lousy luck with the piece of chicken.  

This is the first American competition show that really replicates the experience of watching GBBO, That's the highest possible praise I can give it.

I like Elena too. 

I think you are right about it being similar to GBBO, it has that "soft" feel. 

[Grizzly]

Dustin and Fabrizio are my favorites. They are good looking and can cook. I will definitely try adding wine next time I make Kraft macaroni and cheese 😋

[Irlandesa]

On 3/26/2022 at 9:48 PM, Grizzly said:

Dustin and Fabrizio are my favorites. They are good looking and can cook. I will definitely try adding wine next time I make Kraft macaroni and cheese 😋

Yeah. I was so bummed that Fabrizio left because I think he could benefit the most from going to cooking school in France.

Didn't Bill tell the same story about being taken to a French bistro last week?

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah. I was so bummed that Fabrizio left because I think he could benefit the most from going to cooking school in France.

Didn't Bill tell the same story about being taken to a French bistro last week?

One time was on a date with his husband in Paris. It sounded like this time was here in the states with a friend. I could be mistaken. 

I agree that Fabrizio could have used the culinary training but I would think if I am going on a Julia Child cooking show, I would get some French recipes under my belt. Even if it they are basics.

My girl Elena with that chop in hand.... no delicate bites! 

Jaine for the win! Though Bill's beef looked zmazing. 

[chessiegal]

I watched this for the first time last night. It really is a delightful show. I think the best part of the show are the clips of Julia. I have The French Chef on DVD, but seeing that clip of her with Dick Cavett using the food processor was a hoot.

[libgirl2]

20 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I watched this for the first time last night. It really is a delightful show. I think the best part of the show are the clips of Julia. I have The French Chef on DVD, but seeing that clip of her with Dick Cavett using the food processor was a hoot.

that really was! 

[Rammchick]

29 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I watched this for the first time last night. It really is a delightful show. I think the best part of the show are the clips of Julia. I have The French Chef on DVD, but seeing that clip of her with Dick Cavett using the food processor was a hoot.

Julia was so down to earth and relatable.  Lord knows how many times I've struggled to get the bowl on and off the food processor!