Through the many years I wrote about food, I saw the good and the bad. I'll leave the ugly for someone else to write about. In general, food celebrities engaged us and we enjoyed our assignments. A few of my favorite cooks, chefs and food personalities included Paul Prudhomme (a real sweetie), Pierre Franey, Jacques Pepin (loved his French stories), Margaret Fox, James Beard, Biba Caggiano (loved her Italian stories), Orville Redenbacher, Martin Yan (loved his Chinese stories), Euell Gibbons (nutty and nice), and Lee Bailey. As for some of the others, well, let's just say there are stories to tell. Today, I'm writing about my experiences with Julia Child and Martha Stewart.
Julia wanted to give as little time as possible to an interview. Her handlers warned us about subjects we couldn't mention, her husband being one in later years. I interviewed her several times in San Francisco, at places like Macy's cookware department and hotel ballrooms. But the last time I saw her was in Sacramento at the local PBS station. She was there to hawk a new book. Hunched over, but still almost 6-feet tall when she stepped out of the limousine, she brushed past us to go before the cameras. The press interviews after the show were held in a small meeting room, with about 10 minutes allowed for each of us. You could tell she didn't want to be there. When I left after my 10 minutes, I felt exhausted because getting answers to my questions had been incredibly tough.
An interesting tidbit about Julia: One fall I had been sent to cover a conference in the Missouri Ozarks. A few of us food writers got together after one of the sessions and talk turned to Julia. One food writer (name intentionally omitted) said she and a few others had been invited to Julia and Paul Child's home for tea a year earlier. They were served tea -- and Goldfish; yes, the yellow snack crackers. The great Julia Child had opened a bag for her guests.
Martha Stewart started out OK, but through the years became more reserved and less willing to suffer newspaper food writers. The first time we talked was when her book, Entertaining, was published. She talked about her home in Westport, CT, her catering business, and her table settings. Her manner was warm and I couldn't wait to make some of her recipes. She was new on the food scene, but so refreshing.
The next time I saw her was at the Stanford Court Hotel, also on San Francisco's Nob Hill. She met me after having breakfast with NY Times food writer, Craig Claiborne. Martha swept up to my table in a full-length dark mink coat, arm in arm with Craig. It was all business, get to it, move on. So I did. A couple of years later, I was assigned to get a story about Martha's latest food activities. This time she was demonstrating her culinary skills at a cooking demonstration at Robert Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley. Can't remember what she made. After she finished, we food writers were to dine with her and Margrit Mondavi, Robert's wife. While the tables were being set up, I saw Martha sitting by herself under a big tree alongside the reception building where we were to lunch. No other food writers were nearby. Unlike many other foodies, Martha didn't draw people to her for small talk. But I saw an opportunity to have the famous Martha Stewart all to myself, without an appointment. She answered all of my questions, briefly, but any warmth had long left and Martha was, I think, saying what she thought I wanted to hear. Still, I believe she is one of the most talented cooks of all time.
Martha Stewart started out OK, but through the years became more reserved and less willing to suffer newspaper food writers. The first time we talked was when her book, Entertaining, was published. She talked about her home in Westport, CT, her catering business, and her table settings. Her manner was warm and I couldn't wait to make some of her recipes. She was new on the food scene, but so refreshing.
The next time I saw her was at the Stanford Court Hotel, also on San Francisco's Nob Hill. She met me after having breakfast with NY Times food writer, Craig Claiborne. Martha swept up to my table in a full-length dark mink coat, arm in arm with Craig. It was all business, get to it, move on. So I did. A couple of years later, I was assigned to get a story about Martha's latest food activities. This time she was demonstrating her culinary skills at a cooking demonstration at Robert Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley. Can't remember what she made. After she finished, we food writers were to dine with her and Margrit Mondavi, Robert's wife. While the tables were being set up, I saw Martha sitting by herself under a big tree alongside the reception building where we were to lunch. No other food writers were nearby. Unlike many other foodies, Martha didn't draw people to her for small talk. But I saw an opportunity to have the famous Martha Stewart all to myself, without an appointment. She answered all of my questions, briefly, but any warmth had long left and Martha was, I think, saying what she thought I wanted to hear. Still, I believe she is one of the most talented cooks of all time.
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