Junior Grace Bacon reflects on her experience cooking Julia Child’s recipies
Junior Grace Bacon channelled her passion for cooking by taking on some of renown chef Julia Child’s recipes.
April 13, 2018
Cooking is a rewarding hobby, but not many can say that––at the age of ten––they’ve committed themselves to learning to make gourmet French cuisine. Junior Grace Bacon has had a passion for cooking since she was nine years old, and she’s just one of the many chefs around the world who has attempted to follow in the footsteps of renowned chef Julia Child.
Bacon was nine when the movie Julie & Julia came out. There are two storylines: one about an author living in New York City who decides to take a year to cook her way through Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and the other about the chef, Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) who’s trying to write the cookbook. “It all started with Meryl Streep. Anyone who knows me at all is well aware I adore Meryl Streep,” Bacon said.
Bacon wanted to do something special before she turned double digits, and as soon as the movie ended she knew what she wanted to do. “I talked to my mom about it and we decided to cook 10 recipes from the book before I turned ten including raspberry Bavarian cream, ratatouille, boeuf bourguignon, steamed mussels, and poached fish,” Bacon said.
They called the project Grace Cooks Julia. “My mom even made special menus for each night we served one of the dishes for our friends and family,” Bacon said.
Bacon’s favorite part of the project was going to buy all of the ingredients and telling every cashier about the project. “I’ll never forget the time my mom and I got a 20% discount at the grocery store because the worker was so impressed,” Bacon said.
Not only did Bacon’s mom help her through the recipes, but one of her family friends, Michelle, was living with them at the time. She was a master chef and also a huge fan of Meryl Streep. “I always loved cooking but that project definitely fed the fire. It helped to live with a master chef for two years, she really taught me everything I know,” Bacon said.
Bacon still loves cooking, but has a hard time doing what she loves with her busy schedule. “Because of school, it’s hard to find the time to cook on a daily basis but I try to make a meal about once a month,” Bacon said.
Bacon still has a few favorite dishes. “I love making paella with chorizo sausage, red and green peppers, yellow rice, chicken, shrimp, and as many delicious spices as possible. I cook a lot in the summer. I love making bruschetta with ingredients all from our garden, enchiladas, tikka masala, basically anything that has a lot of color,” Bacon said.
As innocent as cooking seems, Bacon has gotten many scars from it. “I’ve burned my hands boiling sugar and cut myself several times while chopping. I’ve even dropped knives and pots on my feet,” Bacon said.
Through the ups and down, for Grace Bacon, it is all worth it in the end when there is “a beautiful dish of duck confit sitting on your plate after hours of hard work,” Bacon said.
