Julia Child (August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was a famous American cook, author, and television personality who introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American mainstream through her many cookbooks and television programs. Her most famous works are the 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and, showcasing her sui generis television persona, the series The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

Meryl Streep will be playing Julia Child in the Columbia Pictures movie Julie & Julia. The film is an adaptation of the 2005 book by Julie Powell which is based on her blog. A blog she wrote when she spent one year cooking a different recipe every night from Child's classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Julie Powell has won the first award for books based on blogs over 89 other contenders. Powell's blog was her adventures in trying to cook the recipes from Julia Childs' book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", entitled "Julie an Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, and 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen"