Oscar Nominated Directors Julie Cohen & Betsy West Join Chef Thierry To Give An In Depth Look at Their Newest film, Julia.

 “Passion” is the word that sparks true to mind when thinking of Julia Child and the inspiring legacy that she left behind. The new documentary that Sony Pictures released in November 2021 not only shares the stories of her life and career but illustrates her passion and love for the culinary arts. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa’s Technical Director, Chef Thierry Le Baut virtually met with filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen to discuss the inspiration behind the movie and why they were so eager to tell the story of America’s most beloved chef.

“She had such a monumental impact on American culture,” said Cohen. “She not only changed the way we thought about cooking, but the way we thought about food in general”.

The documentary brings to life the remarkable story of her career to a whole new generation of fans, using archived footage from interviews and her multiple tv shows to tell the story in her own voice. It also features insightful conversations with family, friends & close colleagues as well as our President and CEO André Cointreau, as he takes us inside the Paris campus and gives a look at what it was like for Child to join the Cordon Bleu as the only female student at the school.

Travelling back to the early days of post World War II Europe, Cohen and West highlight Child’s younger years and a career shift that led her directly to our school in Paris, where she took the male dominated French culinary world by storm. The fact that she was able to do this later in her life impressed Cohen even more. “We loved the fact Julia did not find her passion until she was in her 30s and really did not have her big success until she was in her 50’s. Julia was something quite different, and we love that part of her story”.

Throughout the documentary we see how her passion helps continue the revolution of American cooking, as her career led to more than 30 years on American television, teaching step-by-step recipes to help show the enjoyable side of cooking and help Americans regain their power and confidence when cooking something extraordinary.

 Watch the full interview below and hear more of the in-depth conversation between Chef Thierry, Julie Cohen & Betsy West. Bon appetit!