Julia Child, the great and irreverent grand dame of U.S. television cooking shows, died today in California at the age of 91. An interviewer once asked Child what her ultimate meal would be. “Red meat and a bottle of gin,” she answered, with her typical flair for the dramatic and the oddly endearing.

But the menu Julia Child seemed to have almost single-handedly opened for America was much bigger than that. In 1961, when millions of American kitchens stretched little beyond hamburger, hot dogs, and meat loaf, Child went on the air with her great laugh and high humor and the message that everyone could eat better than that.

Guests:

Rebecca Allison, director of the gastronomy and culinary arts program at Boston University

Barbara Haber, food historian, author of “From Hardtack to Homefries: An Uncommon History of American Cooks and Meals”, former curator of books at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University which houses a collection of more than 16,000 cookbooks and food history cookbooks

Russ Morash, producer-director of the “French Chef” television series that launched Julia Child’s career

Mary Ann Esposito, host of cooking show “Ciao Italia”

Jacques Pepin, world-renowned chef and television personality, co-hosted TV series with Julia Child “Jacques and Julia Cooking at Home”