Provence, 1970 : M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste / Luke Barr.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-304) and index.

Prologue -- All Alone : December 20, 1970 -- Ten Weeks Earlier... -- En Route to Provence -- An Epic Dinner with Richard Olney -- First Meals in France -- La Pitchoune, Country Retreat -- James Beard's Doomed Diet -- Paris Interlude -- A Dinner Party at the Childs -- Sexual Politics -- Twilight of the Snobs -- Escape -- The Ghost of Arles and Avignon -- Christmas and Reveillon -- Going Home -- Last House -- New Beginnings -- Afterword: Provence Now.

In winter 1970, culinary icons M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, Simone Beck, and Richard Olney all found themselves in Provence, France. This period was a turning point both for these figures and for the culture of food. The previously unquestioned French superiority was losing its grip on American cooking. Fisher and Child especially were growing tired of the snobbery and rigidity of traditional French cuisine. Attitudes in America were also changing: great food no longer had to be French, cooking was becoming more liberated, and chefs began to experiment with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Barr, Fisher's great-nephew, pieces together the events of that winter from diaries and letters, chronicling the dinner parties that took place and the food that was eaten. Readers are also made privy to the dynamics of the group, such as what these chefs thought about one another and the frustrations they experienced. While each figure is highlighted, Fisher is clearly the focus.