Harlequin Romance celebrated it’s 60th anniversary recently.  That alone wouldn’t get me to comment here, but when they decided to have a group of celebrities reading blurbs from past best sellers… AND … One of those celebrities happens to be the world renown chef Wolfgang Puck, then it gets my attention.

In his brief appearance in the ABC video celebrating not only the Canadian based Harlequin, but the fact that the romance industry is actually flourishing in the currently depressed economy, Puck reads from Ann Mather’s “Rooted In Dishonour”, published in 1978.  I’ll be honest in saying I’ve never read the work of Miss Mather, but I have to think that Chef Puck’s delivery somehow lessens whatever impact she was trying to create in this particular scene.

In any event, Congrats to Harlequin on 60 years in the industry and for actually increasing sales in an economy that’s scaring fortune %00 companies to death.  Thanks also for giving this little food lover a bit of a chuckle watching one of his culinary heroes sit firmly out of his element, but do it so darned well.

Remember kiddies. Live. Love. Eat!

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As a kid my culinary heroes were Martin Yan, Graham Kerr and Julia child.

Martin made it seem manly to cook, with his constant banter and signature chopping cadence. (I’ll still stop flipping channels today if I hear that sound. It’s as distinctive as his voice.)

Graham Kerr was, in my father’s opinion, “A Fruit.” But his energetic style captivated me, and I happily flipped to PBS to watch when I could.

But Julia.

What can you say about Julia? She was iconic. She was two of my aunts and my grandmother all wrapped up in one very captivating package. She talked about foods I, in my young life had never heard of, it was all so exotic and enrapturing.

She’d make mistakes and then quip happily “don’t worry, this won’t happen when you make this!”, when every other cook would have made another take. She dropped things. She sometimes seemed on the verge of spewing a string of expletives that would make my father blush.

Julia’s kitchen was as much a part of my home as my own. And I got to revisit it this morning, virtually at least.

The Smithsonian Institute has a new website on Julia Child’s kitchen. It includes a 360 degree panorama of the kitchen and a detailed look at 66 kitchen objects which are interactive with stories and videos. www.americanhistory.si.edu/juliachild

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