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How did Julia affect you?

Associated Press file photo (1970)

Julia Child's life will be revisited this summer in a movie that intertwines two books.

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By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2009

Summer's big culinary movie (yes, we have those now) will be "Julie and Julia." The Nora Ephron-directed film's plot intertwines two books: Julia Child's memoir "My Life in France" and "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen" by Julie Powell. The latter tells of the food blogger finding purpose while cooking her way through Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." The movie, opening Aug. 7, features Meryl Streep as Child and Amy Adams as Powell.

Weaving the story lines is an interesting idea, especially considering that Child was displeased before her death in 2004 to hear that a blogger was reinterpreting her masterpiece on a blog called The Julie/Julia Project.

When I interviewed Powell in 2005 about the book, she said Child had been "sort of a pill" about the project. Still, everyone Powell talked to who knew Child said that if the star had been a little bit younger, she would have appreciated it as the tribute it was.

"The almost universal consensus also was that she was very generous about helping younger people along and encouraging people to try new things," Powell said.

What I want to know is, how did Julia Child's work affect your life? Did a recipe she made help you be a better cook? Did it make you a fan of culinary TV?

E-mail me at jhouck@tampatrib.com to share your stories. I'll include them in an upcoming column.

Return of Yan, solo

Martin Yan, celebrity chef and star of the PBS series "Yan Can Cook," will teach a class at Publix Apron's Cooking School in Citrus Park at 6:30 p.m. Friday. He'll demonstrate dishes such as Curry Puffs, Seafood Stir Fry, Thai Basil Chicken with Cashews Marinated in Tsingtao Lager and Seafood Pumpkin Curry Coconut Soup.

Yan, who is sponsored by Tsingtao, will pair the dishes to the company's beers. He'll also sign cookbooks at Publix for an hour before the class, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The school is inside the grocery store at 7835 Gunn Highway in Tampa.

To register for the $75 class, go online to www.publix.com/aprons.

Low on knob

Fans of Knob Creek bourbon got a shock last week. An e-mail from the company announced that strong sales depleted inventory at the distillery and that the company is out of bourbon for the year.

"Of course, we could bottle the next batch a little early to make up for the shortage, but we believe Knob Creek must be aged a full 9 years in order to reach its true potential. So we're just going to wait it out," the e-mail reads. "If you happen to experience a shortage where you live, just remember that everything will be back to normal this November."

One blogger who posted the letter wrote, "And I don't even have any whiskey to cry into."

New flavors at Dufrain

Last week, Cafe Dufrain on Harbor Island in Tampa started teasing its fans on Twitter.

"NEW CHEF, JULY 15, Sneak peek:" one post read. "Local honey roasted black pepper 'shellacked' kurobuta pork belly, tempura bluepoint oyster."

Another: "Sneak peek No. 2: galbi buffalo short ribs, lemongrass scented jasmine rice, trio kim chee, hydro bibb."

The restaurant recently hired Ferrell Alvarez, formerly Marty Blitz's sous chef at Mise en Place, to be its executive chef. Mise general manager Ty Rodriguez also is making the jump.

I hope the sneak peeks taste as good as they read.

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