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Julia Child was breaking glass ceilings in the culinary world before it was cool. The woman who made America fall in love with French cuisine also had a penchant for the run-of-the-mill hamburger. While it was well-known she liked McDonald’s and Burger King, particularly Burger King’s fries, according to a CNN interview, she also flirted with the food at California’s own In-N-Out burgers. In fact, Child was such a fan that, per the L.A. Times, in her handbag, she kept a map that showed all the In-N-Outs that she could stop at when driving from her home in Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.
What In-N-Out burger style she ordered is anyone’s guess, but Child was a bit of a celebrity at this fast food chain and she was so fond of this its food, Stacy Perman, author of “In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules,” reveals that in 2003, while in the hospital recovering from knee surgery, the cookbook author sent her assistant on an errand to fetch food from this favored burger joint.
In-N-Out was also good enough for a meal with visitors. As Patricia Barey and Therese Burson, co-authors of “Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats,” noted that In-N-Out was among the Chef’s first stops when entertaining out-of-town guests. What was it about In-N-Out burgers that had Child so infatuated?
There’s a lot of celebrity love for In-N-Out
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Perhaps In-N-Out uses better buns for its burgers. Per Time, while Julia Child liked McDonald’s fries, the buns were a point of contention. She explained, “The buns are a little soft. The Big Mac I like least because it’s all bread.” In-N-Out lightly toasts its burger buns so they are never pillowy soft.
Child was not the only celebrity who embraced In-N-Out burgers. She was in good company. It was also Anthony Bourdain’s favorite restaurant in L.A. He liked In-N-Out’s “double-double animal style” burger. This eatery is also a hot spot come celebrity award season. 2024 Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel told People that this chain is a tradition for celebrities and friends after all the statues have been presented. Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, and Aziz Ansari are among its devotees.
Child’s love for this burger chain says a lot about her food philosophy. The Pasadena-born chef, who was known for serving Goldfish crackers during a Thanksgiving Day feast, a dinner party appetizer Martha Stewart would never serve, loved accessible and easy food, and that’s just what In-N-Out burgers symbolize. She even revealed to Larry King that hamburgers and baked potatoes were among her favorite foods. This may seem surprising given the types of food she cooked on her show “French Chef,” but while she made her name making fancy French dishes, her taste buds were clearly American at heart.
Dining and Cooking