Julia Child, French cooking expert and the first celebrity television chef, was beloved for her unflappable, upbeat disposition. She thrived on fixing mistakes and unforeseen problems in the kitchen. Can’t flip an omelet? Just turn it into scrambled eggs. When Julia once dropped a potato pancake on the counter during a live taping of her show, “The French Chef,” she serenely scooped it back in the skillet. “Nobody’s looking!” Julia told thousands of viewers. She only lost her composure a handful of times. Once was when a small fire erupted on set – a towel and potholder had ignited on the stove. The cameraman stopped shooting, and Julia was furious. She wanted to show her viewers what to do about a kitchen fire at home. Alas, Julia was not standing by my electric stove last week when a skillet of vegetable oil ignited…. Continue reading →