Expert fan: She opened doors for women in a world dominated by men
Julia Child’s influence on cooking is still part of the recipe of the world’s best kitchens, according to one expert fan.
Pastry chef Helen Vass won the Les Dames d’escoffier Legacy Award in 2018, an accolade sponsored by the Julia Child Foundation, set up by the chef in 1995 to ensure her ongoing legacy.
Vass, who lives in Glasgow, said: “Julia opened doors for women in the cooking scene, which generally had been a male-dominated environment. Her book came out in the early ’60s, and how many women were cooking at a professional level back then? She made the job accessible to everyone and became quite the personality.
“I baked from a young age thanks to my mum, but when I became interested in food in my late teens and was looking at French cooking, that’s when I became aware of Julia. I bought a copy of her book, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, so I knew who she was and was aware of what she had done before I entered the awards.”
Winning the Les Dames d’escoffier Legacy gave Vass the opportunity to go to New York, where she learned from some of the best chefs in the world.
“The Julia Child Foundation covered the expenses of the trip, where I spent two weeks at James Beard House – he is another founder of gastronomy in the USA – working with Massimo Bottura, whose restaurant has three Michelin stars. I went back out to the States, to Seattle, a couple of months later to present my experiences of the New York trip. Again, this was paid by the Julia Child Foundation.
“It was a life-changing experience – money can’t buy these opportunities.”
Vass retrained as a pastry chef 10 years ago, having previously earned a degree in tourism and travel and completed a postgraduate course in business administration. In a short time she has made her mark on the industry, being named the CIS Excellence Patisserie Chef of the Year, winning Bake Off Crème de la Crème in 2016 as part of a team led by TV regular and chocolatier Mark Tilling, and working in prestigious restaurants such as The Three Chimneys on Skye.
Now, she is attempting to inspire the next generation of chefs at South Lanarkshire College, where she has been lecturing for three years.
“I like to get the message out about encouraging people into cooking, as we’re struggling in Scotland just now,” she added. “There are so many vacancies, in part due to chefs from Europe who have gone home after Brexit. We’re trying to retain and attract new talent – there is a shortage of pastry chefs – so I hope to encourage more people into the industry.
“I try to make reference that people like Julia Child were pioneers for us doing what we are doing now. I think we need to focus on the person doing the job well – it doesn’t matter if they are male or female as long as they have the right attitude and skills.
“Hopefully the new film will help to inspire a new generation.”