Street View returns to Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

08 Jul 2026 8:00am GMT

Це есе також доступно українською.

"Listen… the birds are already singing," said Danylo - a Ukrainian I'd met at a previous WordCamp - as we were wrapping up the last hour of the WCEU afterparty in Krakow. "It's time for us to go." He started singing "Hei! Hei! Hei, sokoly! Omynaite hory, lisy, doly." I started singing with him. The Polish guys next to us continued singing in Polish "Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń dzwoneczku, Mój stepowy skowroneczku." Some people behind us joined the choir. That was "Hey Sokoly" - a Ukrainian-Polish folk song - carrying us out of Bastion III, a 19th-century Austrian fortress on the edge of Krakow's Old Town, as the night turned to morning.

But to explain how I ended up there, I need to go back to where it all began.

Mykolaiv

It all started in Mykolaiv, the city of shipbuilders and brides, where I spent my childhood. I graduated from two universities I had been attending simultaneously and started looking for a job during a gap year. I planned to find work to earn some money for further education while preparing for the entrance exams to one of the Finnish universities. Mykolaiv didn't provide good opportunities for graduates unless you had very good connections, but I managed to find a job at an "IT" company. In 2011, the term "IT" didn't mean much to me, but they required English, which was my major, so I thought - why not. The work wasn't particularly difficult: I had to pretend to be "Bob" from the United States, helping customers who had purchased physical products by tracking their orders and walking them through setup instructions. I was fired after a month and a half. Maybe I underperformed, or maybe somebody just didn't like me - either way, it's water under the bridge.

The first job I'd gotten entirely on my own, the first paycheck that proved I could be independent, and the first time being fired - all of it hit me at once. The last part was devastating, made worse by comments like "it was too good to be true," "we told you they'd trick you," and "look at so-and-so, doing such-and-such and earning properly." It was hard to sit with feeling like a failure. But somewhere in that difficulty, I got tougher - and more determined to prove everyone wrong.

TemplateMonster

The first job was a failure, but it gave me one clear answer: I needed to stay in IT. The next job was TemplateMonster.com - well known in certain circles. It was the complete opposite of what I'd experienced before. In 2012 they were selling templates for the most popular CMS platforms of the time: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and various e-commerce solutions. The onboarding alone took two months, which tells you something about how seriously they took their people - staff rarely left, and when they did, it was for personal reasons, not because they were pushed out.

My job was to help customers with their templates: installation, editing, customization. Difficult, but genuinely interesting - I liked it. This was the first time I encountered WordPress. I worked six nights a week, and Sundays were the strangest - your day off, but your body had adjusted to night shifts and refused to cooperate. None of that bothered me much. Being able to build sites and make things look exactly right was addictive. I overworked, learned constantly, pestered developers with questions, all just to quench my thirst for knowledge. It ended quickly: I got accepted into three master's programs in Finland, chose one, and left for Central Finland.

Helsinki

Studying in Finland was genuinely different from anything I'd known in Ukraine - in the best possible way. Once the mandatory courses were done, I started looking for work. It was harder than I expected: a year of passive searching, then six months of applying every day. Eventually, I landed at a Helsinki-based agency building WordPress websites - which is still what I do today. A friendly team, around ten people - I'm still close with many of them. We built sites of varying complexity during the day and spent evenings playing board games, swapping stories, and throwing the occasional party.

That's also where I attended my first WordPress event: WordCamp Helsinki 2017, a two-day conference. It didn't blow me away, but it opened something. When you work in a small agency, you live inside your own bubble - and then suddenly a whole other world appears. You see the other side of WordPress: the community, the people pushing it forward, the people wrestling with the same problems you are and finding creative ways through.

That first local WordCamp was enough to make us want to go further. In 2019 the team went to Berlin for WCEU - my first trip abroad outside of the Finland-Ukraine route I knew well. We spent a few days exploring the city and attending the event. WordCamp Europe is a different scale entirely: thousands of attendees, hundreds of volunteers making it happen. Standing in that crowd, I knew I wanted to be part of it - not just as a visitor. And then corona happened.

Porto

WCEU 2020 and 2021 were online, and I felt they were missing the whole point - thousands of people in one place, feeding off each other's energy. So when Porto was announced for 2022, I started packing. This time, I joined as a volunteer, to see WordCamp from the inside. It was the right call. It was also a difficult time for Ukrainians - the full-scale invasion was by then well into its second year, and everyone was finding their own way to cope. For me, this event became a source of strength. I connected with the Ukrainian community, had real conversations with speakers, and came away feeling like I'd experienced what WCEU is actually for.

That trip also clarified something I'd been circling around for a while. I've always loved traveling, but there was a barrier that had nothing to do with visas or money - though those were factors too. It was a justification problem. Coming from a culture where time should be spent purposefully, traveling for its own sake felt hard to defend. A work conference, though? Completely justifiable. Nobody asks how much fun you had. I've been to Germany, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and Poland this way. Spain is next.

Attending WordCamps is one thing. Building a similar event is another.

WP Suomi

In 2025 I became the lead organizer of WP Suomi - the first independent Finnish WordPress event, held in Helsinki. The months before October 10th were intensive in ways I hadn't anticipated: budgets, logistics, gifts, merch, catering, venue coordination, a hundred small details that needed to be right simultaneously. I remember waking up at midnight worrying that I hadn't ordered something in time and it wouldn't arrive before the event. Most of the work that goes into an event like this is invisible to the people attending. They see the schedule, the food, the afterparty. They don't see the half a year of pieces being polished before the puzzle comes together.

On the day of the event, there was nothing left to worry about. Whatever needed doing had been done - if something had been missed in the preparation, it would show up now and there would be little we could do about it. So why worry? The time for that was the preparation, not the day itself. The team - experienced, reliable, no hand-holding required - knew exactly what they were there for.

Around 300 people attended WP Suomi. Forty filled out our feedback form afterward, giving an overall score of 4.47 out of 5. But the number mattered less than what people wrote: networking, atmosphere, meeting old friends and new ones, a community that welcomes everyone openly. Reading that, I recognized the same feeling I'd had at WordCamp Helsinki 2017 - something new, interesting, and full of possibility.

Organizing WP Suomi gave me a clearer understanding of what goes into making these events happen. Having been a volunteer at WCEU and then a lead organizer at WP Suomi, I arrived in Krakow with a slightly different perspective - a better sense of what the people around me were going through. This year I'm back on the WP Suomi organizing team as speakers coordinator - a different role, another angle.

Krakow

WordCamps have changed for me over the years - less about the sessions on stage, more about what happens between them. As an organizer, you miss most of the talks anyway, pulled in ten directions at once. But real life happens in the corridors, and at the parties in the evenings.

This matters especially for the Ukrainian community. The war has scattered us across Europe - different countries, different companies, different lives. WordCamp Europe has become one of the few places where we reassemble in person: to share what the year brought, to meet people we only knew online, to see the community still growing despite everything. Many couldn't make it to Krakow, some would not be able to visit these events anymore. For those of us who could, the room carried extra weight.

That's what Danylo and I were singing about at dawn outside Bastion III, even if neither of us said it out loud. I hope to do that someday in the afterparties in Helsinki and Kyiv - whenever that becomes possible again.

Volodymyr's Work Environment

We asked Volodymyr for a view into his development life and this is what he sent!

HeroPress would like to thank Draw Attention for their donation of the plugin to make this interactive image!

"Послухай… пташки заспівали"

«Послухай… пташки заспівали», - сказав Данило, українець, з яким я познайомився на попередньому WordCamp - ми якраз протеревенили останню годину afterparty WCEU у Кракові. «Значить нам теж час іти». І тут він від душі почав співати «Гей, гей, гей, соколи, оминайте гори, ліси, доли». Я підхопив пісню разом із ним. Поляки, що ішли поруч продовжили польською: «Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń dzwoneczku, mój stepowy skowroneczku». Хтось позаду теж приєднався до хору. Це була «Гей, соколи» - українсько-польська народна пісня - під акомпанемент якої нас виносив натовп із Бастіону III, австрійської фортеці XIX століття на околиці краківського Старого міста, саме тоді, коли вже ніч переходила у ранок.

Щоб пояснити, як я там опинився, доведеться повернутися до самого початку цієї історії.

Миколаїв

Ця історія бере свій початок у Миколаєві - місті суднобудівельників і наречених, де я виріс. Здобув освіту у двох університетах, де навчався одночасно і почав шукати роботу під час року перерви перед продовженням навчання. Я планував знайти собі роботу, щоб заробити грошенят для продовження навчання, готуючись до вступу в один із фінських університетів. У Миколаєві було важко знайти якісь серйозні перспективи для випускника, хіба що в тебе є зв'язки, але я примудрився знайти роботу в "IT" компанії. У 2011 термін "АйТі" нічого мені не говорив, але там потрібна була англійська, яка була моїм основним предметом в університеті, тому я подумав, а чом би й ні? Робота не була важкою: треба було казати, що я "Боб" із США і допомагати клієнтам, які купували фізичні продукти, відслідковувати їх замовлення і давати інструкції, як використовувати оте, що вони поназамовляли. Мене звільнили через півтора місяці. Можливо, я щось не так робив, можливо, просто не вдався обличчям - у будь-якому випадку, що було, то загуло.

На цю роботу я влаштувався самостійно, без будь-якої підтримки, перша заробітна плата була символом моєї незалежності, і перше звільнення - це був бурхливий вир емоцій. Але остання частина просто вибила землю з-під моїх ніг, гірше тільки зробили коментарі на кшталт: "це було занадто добре, щоб бути правдою", "та ми тобі казали, що там надурять", і "подивись на нього - він робить те та й се, ще й добре заробляє". Дуже важко було бути вдома і відчувати себе невдахою. Але це відчуття зробило набагато більше ніж будь-яка ефемерна підтримка - воно мене загартувало і пробудило палке бажання довести, що всі помилялися щодо мене.

TemplateMonster

Хоч перша робота виявилась провалом, вона дала мені чітке розуміння, що треба продовжувати шукати роботу в IT. Наступну роботу я знайшов у TemplateMonster.com - добре відому у певних колах. Вона була повною протилежністю моєму минулому досвіду. У 2012 році вони продавали шаблони для більшості популярних CMS-ок того часу: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, і для різних рішень електронної комерції. Лише ознайомлення з роботою і навчання зайняло два місяці, що промовисто свідчить про те, наскільки серйозно компанія сприймала своїх людей - майже ніколи не звільняли, а якщо люди й ішли з роботи, то з власних причин.

Моїм завданням було допомагати клієнтам із шаблонами, які вони придбали: встановлення, налаштування, редагування. Було доволі складно, але дуже цікаво - мені подобалося. Тоді я вперше познайомився із WordPress. Я працював шість ночей на тиждень, а неділі були найважчими, бо тіло звикало до активності вночі і відмовлялося спати. Хоча такий графік мене не дуже турбував. Можливість створювати будь-які сайти і кастомізувати їх саме під себе - оце було до дідька захопливо. Я багато перепрацьовував, вивчав щось нове, заколупував розробників питаннями, щоб хоч трохи вгамувати жагу до знань. Але усе закінчилося несподівано швидко: я отримав три листи про зарахування на магістратуру у Фінляндії, вибрав один університет і поїхав до Центральної Фінляндії.

Гельсінкі

Система навчання у Фінляндії побудована зовсім по-іншому - і, на мою думку, на краще. Коли я закінчив основні курси моєї спеціальності, я почав шукати роботу. Завдання було не з легких: рік я шукав пасивно, де-не-де подаючи заявки на роботу, і ще пів року я зайнявся цим активно, відгукуючись на декілька вакансій щодня. Зрештою, доля занесла мене у Гельсінське агентство, що розробляло сайти на WordPress - цим я займаюся і сьогодні. У нас була дуже дружня команда, приблизно з десяти людей, з більшістю з них я досі дружу. Ми будували сайти дуже різного рівня складності, удень, вечорами грали в настолки, ділились історіями зі свого життя і влаштовували грандіозні вечірки.

З цією командою я вперше відвідав подію WordPress: WordCamp Helsinki 2017 - дводенну конференцію. Я не був вражений наповал, але вона відкрила мої очі на дещо. Коли ти працюєш у маленькому агентстві, і живеш у своїй бульбашці, а тут неочікувано відкривається цілий всесвіт. Ти бачиш іншу сторону WordPress - спільноту, людей, які рухають увесь проект вперед, людей, які стикаються з тими самими проблемами, які знаходять творчі способи ці проблеми вирішити.

Того першого місцевого WordCamp'у було достатньо, щоб нам захотілося рухатися далі. У 2019 році наша команда поїхала до Берліна на WordCamp Europe - це була моя перша закордонна поїздка за межі звичного для мене маршруту між Фінляндією та Україною. Ми провели кілька днів, досліджуючи місто й відвідуючи конференцію. Масштаб відчувався зовсім по-іншому: тисячі учасників і сотні волонтерів, які усе організовують. Стоячи серед цього натовпу, я зрозумів, що хочу бути частиною цього, і не просто як відвідувач.

А потім почалася пандемія коронавірусу.

Порто

WordCamp Europe 2020 і 2021 років проходили онлайн, і мені здавалося, що вони втратили найголовніше - тисячі людей, зібраних в одному місці, які заряджають одне одного своєю енергією. Тож коли оголосили, що WCEU 2022 відбудеться в Порту, я почав збирати валізу. Цього разу я приєднався до команди волонтерів, щоб побачити WordCamp зсередини. І це було правильне рішення. Для українців це був непростий час - повномасштабне вторгнення вже тривало, і кожен шукав свій спосіб впоратися з новою реальністю. Для мене цей захід став джерелом сили. Я ближче познайомився з українською спільнотою, жваво дискутував зі спікерами й повернувся з відчуттям, що нарешті зрозумів, нашо той WordCamp.

Та поїздка також допомогла мені усвідомити дещо, над чим я давно розмірковував. Я завжди любив подорожувати, але існував бар'єр, який не мав стосунку ні до віз, ні до грошей - хоча й вони теж відігравали свою роль. Проблема була в тому, як виправдати саму подорож. Я виріс у культурі, де час потрібно витрачати з користю, тому подорожувати просто заради подорожі здавалося чимось, що важко пояснити. А ось робоча конференція - зовсім інша справа. Це цілком виправдана причина. Ніхто не питає, скільки задоволення ти на ній отримав. Саме так я побував у Німеччині, Португалії, Італії, Швейцарії та Польщі. Наступна - Іспанія.

Відвідувати WordCamp - це одне. Створювати подібний захід - зовсім інше.

WP Suomi

У 2025 році я став головним організатором WP Suomi - першого незалежного фінського заходу, присвяченого WordPress, що відбувся в Гельсінкі. Місяці, які передували 10 жовтня, виявилися набагато напруженішими, ніж я очікував. Бюджет, логістика, подарунки, мерч, кейтеринг, координація локації - і сотні дрібниць, які мали зійтися в потрібний момент. Пам'ятаю, як прокидався посеред ночі з думкою, що не встиг замовити щось вчасно і воно не приїде до початку події. Більшість роботи, яка стоїть за такими заходами, залишається непомітною для учасників. Вони бачать програму, їжу, афтепаті. Але не бачать тих пів року, протягом яких окремі деталі поступово складаються в єдину картину.

WP Suomi відвідали близько 300 людей. Після заходу сорок учасників заповнили форму зворотного зв'язку, оцінивши його в середньому на 4,47 із 5. Але для мене важливішою була не сама оцінка, а те, що люди писали: нетворкінг, атмосфера, зустрічі зі старими друзями й нові знайомства, спільнота, яка відкрито приймає кожного. Читаючи ці відгуки, я згадав себе і те саме відчуття, яке пережив на WordCamp Helsinki 2017, - це щось нове, захопливе й сповнене можливостей.

Організація WP Suomi допомогла мені значно краще зрозуміти, що стоїть за проведенням таких заходів. Після досвіду волонтера на WCEU, а згодом і головного організатора WP Suomi, я приїхав до Кракова вже з іншим поглядом - набагато краще розуміючи, через що проходять люди, які працюють поруч. Цього року я знову в команді організаторів WP Suomi, але вже в ролі координатора спікерів. Інша відповідальність, інший погляд.

Краків

За ці роки WordCamp для мене змінився. Тепер він менше про доповіді на сцені й більше про те, що відбувається між ними. Як організатор, ти все одно пропускаєш більшість виступів, адже тебе одночасно тягнуть у десять різних боків. Але справжнє життя вирує в коридорах і на вечірках після завершення основних сесій.

Особливо важливо це для української спільноти. Війна розкидала нас по всій Європі - різні країни, різні компанії, різні життя. WordCamp Europe став одним із небагатьох місць, де ми можемо знову зустрітися наживо: поділитися тим, що приніс цей рік, побачитися з людьми, яких досі знали лише онлайн, і переконатися, що наша спільнота продовжує зростати попри все. Багато хто не зміг приїхати до Кракова, на жаль дехто вже ніколи не зможе побувати на цих заходах. Для тих із нас, кому це вдалося, ці зустрічі мають особливе значення.

Саме про це ми з Данилом співали на світанку біля Bastion III, хоча ніхто з нас не сказав цього вголос. Сподіваюся, колись мені ще доведеться робити це на афтепаті в Гельсінкі та Києві - щойно це знову стане можливим.

The post "Listen… the birds are already singing" - "Послухай… пташки заспівали" appeared first on HeroPress.

08 Jul 2026 5:00am GMT

BuddyPress 14.5.0, 12.7.0, and 11.6.0 are now available.

These are security and maintenance releases that include two security fixes, along with a number of compatibility improvements, bug fixes, and code modernization updates. We strongly recommend updating your sites as soon as possible.

Highlights

• Two security issues:
  • Prevent user ID spoofing in the Messages REST API endpoint via improved validation.
  • Restrict Component management to Users with the appropriate Capabilities.
• Improves compatibility with WordPress 6.9, including support for block style loading optimizations and replacement of deprecated WordPress APIs where appropriate.
• Includes numerous bug fixes across BuddyPress, including BP Nouveau, Groups, Friends, Activity, Administration, and several PHP 8.x compatibility improvements.

Download

You can update automatically from your WordPress Dashboard, or download BuddyPress 14.5.0 directly:

• https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/
• https://buddypress.org/download/

For the complete list of changes included in this release, see the changelog:

• https://codex.buddypress.org/releases/version-14-5-0/

Many thanks to our 14.5.0 contributors

Thanks to everyone who contributed patches, testing, reviews, bug reports, and responsible security disclosures that helped make this release possible.

Contributors include: emaralive, vapvarun, westonruter, joelkarunungan, nikunj8866, shawfactor, r-a-y, t.schwarz, dcavins, noruzzaman, rollybueno, potcus, pratiklondhe, yatesa01, bhargavbhandari90, amitraj2203, GaryJ., espellcaste, needle, and johnjamesjacoby.

Security issues were responsibly disclosed via the WordPress Bounty Program over at HackerOne and through the WordPress Plugins Team. If you were not properly attributed for your contribution here, leave a comment and we'll get you added.

07 Jul 2026 5:57pm GMT

Three ways Google collaborates with governments, international organizations and communities on global crisis resilience.

07 Jul 2026 5:50pm GMT

Three new FireSat satellites have launched, expanding a network that uses Google AI to help fire agencies detect early-stage wildfires.

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Insights into the DevRel role's importance, explore endless API possibilities, and consider the balance of digital freedom, cost, and usability in today's tech landscape.

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Pourquoi certains grands-parents sont-ils présents auprès de leurs petits-enfants et d'autres choisissent de prendre leurs distances ?

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30 Jun 2026 2:46pm GMT

Acheter des originaux sur le site LesDessinateurs.com Vous pouvez me suivre sur Instagram, Bluesky ou Facebook.

02 Jan 2024 10:41am GMT

Dans le journal L'Equipe du dimanche et du lundi, vous pouviez trouver un de mes dessins en dernière page. Voici un petit échantillon des dessins réalisés en 2023 pour le quotidien sportif. Acheter des originaux sur le site LesDessinateurs.com Vous pouvez me suivre sur Instagram, Bluesky ou Facebook. Acheter des originaux sur le site LesDessinateurs.com Vous …

Continuer la lecture de « Une année de sport »

01 Jan 2024 9:11am GMT

Acheter des originaux sur le site LesDessinateurs.com Vous pouvez me suivre sur Instagram, Bluesky ou Facebook.

30 Dec 2023 1:06pm GMT

Much as I love pasta, I'm not sure it loves me. Last year my carb-heavy comfort food diet led to some weight gain so I looked into low carb pasta as an alternative. There's a lot out there and I'm still trying different brands and styles, but I thought now would be a good time to share what I've learned so far.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts

My introduction to legume and bean-based pasta was thanks to Barilla. I was lucky because I got to attend a webinar with Barilla's incredible chef, Lorenzo Boni. I tried his recipe for pasta with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts which I definitely recommend and have now made several times. If you've seen his wildly popular (150k+ followers!) Instagram feed you know he's a master at making all kinds of pasta dishes and that he often eats plant-based meals. I followed up with him to get some tips on cooking with pasta made from beans and legumes.

Pasta made with beans and legumes is higher in protein and so the recommended 2-ounce portion is surprisingly filling. But the texture isn't always the same as traditional semolina or durum wheat pasta. Chef Boni told me, "The nature of legume pasta makes it soak up more moisture than traditional semolina pasta, so you always want to reserve a bit of cooking water to adjust if needed." But when it comes to cooking, he says that with Barilla legume pasta you cook it the same way as semolina pasta. "Boil in salted water for the duration noted on the box and you'll have perfectly al dente pasta." They are all gluten-free.

Chickpea pasta

When I asked Chef Boni about pairing chickpea pastas with sauce he said, "Generally speaking, I prefer olive oil based sauces rich with vegetables, aromatic herbs and spices. Seafood also pairs well with chickpea options. If used with creamy or tomato-based sauces, keep in mind to always have some pasta water handy to adjust the dish in case it gets too dry." He added, "One of my favorite ways to prepare a legume pasta dish would be a simple chickpea rotini with shrimp, diced zucchini and fresh basil. The sauce is light enough to highlight the flavor of the pasta itself, while the natural sweetness helps keep the overall flavor profile more appealing to everyone." I like the Barilla brand because the only ingredient is chickpeas. Banza makes a popular line of chickpea pasta as well although they include pea starch, tapioca and xanthan gum.

Edamame pasta

I tried two different brands of edamame pasta, Seapoint Farms and Explore Cuisine. The Seapoint pasta has a rougher texture than the Explore. With the Seapoint I found the best pairings were earthy chunky toppings like toasted walnuts and sautéed mushrooms. The Explore Cuisine edamame & spirulina pasta is smoother and more delicate, and worked well with an Asian style peanut sauce. I was happy with the Seapoint brand, but would definitely choose the Explore brand instead if it's available.

Red lentil pasta

Red lentil pasta is most similar to semolina pasta. Barilla makes red lentil pasta in a variety of shapes. But for spaghetti, Chef Boni says, "Barilla red lentil spaghetti is pretty flexible and works well with pretty much everything. I love red lentil spaghetti with light olive oil based sauces with aromatic herbs and some small diced vegetables. It also works well with a lean meat protein." I have to admit, I have yet to try red lentil pasta, but I'm excited to try it after hearing how similar it is to semolina pasta. It is made only with red lentil flour, that's it. It's available in spaghetti, penne and rotini.

Penne for Your Thoughts

Do you remember seeing photos from Italian supermarkets where the shelves with pasta were barren except for penne? I too seem to end up with boxes of penne or rotini and not a clue what to do with them so I asked Chef Boni his thoughts on the subject. He told me, "Shortcuts such as rotini and penne pair very well with all kind of ragouts as well as tomato based and chunky vegetarian sauces. One of my favorite ways to prepare a legume pasta dish would be a simple chickpea rotini with shrimp, diced zucchini and fresh basil. The sauce is light enough to highlight the flavor of the pasta itself, while the natural sweetness helps keep the overall flavor profile more appealing to everyone." Thanks chef! When zucchini is in season I know what I will try!

15 Feb 2022 6:46pm GMT

Julia is a new film based on Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz and inspired by My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme and The French Chef in America: Julia Child's Second Act by Alex Prud'homme. Julia Child died in 2004, and yet our appetite for all things Julia hasn't waned.

I grew up watching Julia Child on TV and learning to cook the French classics from her books, And while I never trained to be a chef, like Child I also transitioned into a career focused on food, a subject I have always found endlessly fascinating. I enjoyed the new film very much and while it didn't break much new ground, it did add a layer of perspective that can only come with time. In particular, how Julia Child became a ubiquitous pop culture figure is addressed in a fresh way.

I reached out to the filmmakers,Julie Cohen and Betsy West to find out more about what inspired them and why Julia Child still holds our attention.

Julia Child died over 15 years ago and has been off TV for decades. Why do you believe we continue to be so fascinated by her?

In some ways Julia is the Godmother of modern American cooking - and eating. Her spirit looms over cooking segments on the morning shows, The Food Network, and all those overhead Instagram shots the current generation loves to take of restaurant meals. Beyond that, though, Julia's bigger than life personality and unstoppable joie de vivre are infectious. People couldn't get enough of her while she was living, and they still can't now.

There have been so many Julia Child films and documentaries, what inspired this one?

Well there'd been some great programs about Julia but this is the first feature length theatrical doc. Like everyone else, we adored Julie & Julia, but a documentary gives you a special opportunity to tell a person's story in their own words and with the authentic images. This is particularly true of Julia, who was truly one of a kind.

The impact of Julia Child how she was a groundbreaker really comes across in the film, are we understanding her in a different light as time passes?

People understand that Julia was a talented television entertainer, but outside the professional food world, there's been an under-recognition of just how much she changed the 20th century food landscape. As Jose Andres points out in the film, almost every serious food professional has a sauce-splashed copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" on their shelves. We also felt Julia's role in opening up new possibilities for women on television deserved more exploration. In the early 1960's the idea of a woman on TV who was neither a housewife nor a sex bomb but a mature, tall, confident expert was downright radical. She paved the way for many women who followed.

The food shots add an extra element to the film and entice viewers in a very visceral way, how did those interstitials come to be part of the film?

We knew from the start that we wanted to make food a major part of this story, not an afterthought. We worked with cook and food stylist Susan Spungen to determine which authentic Julia recipes could be integrated with which story beats to become part of the film's aesthetic and its plot. For instance the sole meunière is a key part of the story because it sparked her obsession with French food, and the pear and almond tart provides an enticing metaphor for the sensual side of Julia and Paul's early married years.

Note: Susan Spungen was also the food stylist for Julie & Julia

Julia is in theaters now.

23 Nov 2021 11:30pm GMT

I met Rick Rodgers early in my career as a recipe developer and food writer when we were both contributors to the Epicurious blog. Not only is he a lot of fun to hang out with, but he has also been incredibly helpful to me and is usually the first person I call when I'm floundering with a project, client, or cooking quandary. His interpersonal skills, business experience, and cooking acumen explain why he's been recognized as one of the top cooking instructors in America. Literally.

You built a career as a cooking instructor and cookbook author. How many cookbooks have you written?

I was asked recently to make an official count, and It looks like an even hundred. Many of those were collaborations with chefs, restaurants, celebrities, bakeries, and business entities, such as Tommy Bahama, Williams-Sonoma, and Nordstrom. I made it known that I was available for collaboration work, and my phone literally rang off the hook for quite a few years with editors and agents looking for help with novice writers or those that wanted a branded book.

Which cookbook(s) are you most proud of?

There are three books that I get fan mail for almost every day: Kaffeehaus (where I explore the desserts of my Austrian heritage), Thanksgiving 101 (a deep dive into America's most food-centric holiday and how to pull it off), and Ready and Waiting (which was one of the first books to take a "gourmet" approach to the slow cooker). These books have been in print for 20 years or more, which is a beautiful testament to their usefulness to home cooks.

How did you get started as a cooking instructor and what are some highlights of your teaching career?

I was a theater major at San Francisco State College (now University), so getting in front of a crowd held no terrors for me. When more brick-and-mortar cooking schools opened in the eighties, I was ready for prime time. During that period, there were at least twelve cooking schools in the Bay Area, so I made quarterly trips here a year from the east coast, where I had moved. My Thanksgiving classes were so popular that I taught every day from November 1 to Thanksgiving, with a couple of days off for laundry and travel. The absolute pinnacle of my teaching career was being named Outstanding Culinary Instructor of The Year by Bon Appétit Magazine's Food and Entertaining Awards, an honor that I share with only a handful of other recipients, including Rick Bayless and Bobby Flay.

Flódni

How have cooking classes changed since you started?

Because there are so many classes available, I can teach at any level of experience. At the cooking schools, we tended to walk a fine line between too difficult and too easy. The exposure to different cuisines and skill levels on TV also has seriously raised the bar. Unfortunately, students want to walk before they can run. They want to learn how to make croissants when I doubt that they can bake a pound cake correctly. It is best to build on your skills instead of going right to the top. That being said, in my online classes, I am concentrating on the more challenging recipes because that is what the market demands of me.

Tell me about your baking school, coffeeandcake.org

As much as I loved my cookbooks and in-person classes, I knew there was a more modern way to reach people who wanted to cook with me, especially since so many cooking schools had closed. I retired the day I got my first Social Security check. But…as I was warned by my friends who knew me better than I did…I was bored, and wanted a new project. I heard about online classes through other teachers who were having success. I found an online course specifically for cooking classes (Cooking Class Business School at HiddenRhythm.com), got the nuts and bolts down, and I finally entered the 21st century!

How do you decide which recipes to teach?

I felt there were plenty of other places to learn how to make chocolate chip cookies and banana bread-just take a look on YouTube alone. I had a specialty of Austro-Hungarian baking thanks to my Kaffeehaus book, so I decided to niche into that category. I have branched out to a few other locations, but my goal is to expose students to something new and out of the ordinary. I also survey my students on what they would like me to teach, and those answers are amazing. People are truly interested in the more difficult desserts. Perhaps it is because so many people discovered baking as a hobby during the pandemic?

For students who have your cookbooks, what are the advantages of taking an online class?

There is no substitute for seeing a cook in action. Plus you get to answer questions during class. In a recent class, I made six-layer Dobos Torte in two hours' real-time to prove that you can do it without giving up a week of your life. And we don't have to travel to each other to be "together." My classes are videotaped so you can watch them at your convenience.

What are some highlights of your upcoming schedule of classes?

Honey cake

In October, I am teaching virtually all Hungarian desserts, things that will be new to most people. I am making one of my absolute favorites, Flódni, which is a Jewish bar cookie (almost a cake) with layers of apple, poppy seeds, and walnuts between thin sheets of wine-flavored cookie dough. San Franciscans in particular will be happy to see a master class that I am teaching with the delightful Michelle Polzine, owner of the late and lamented 20th Century Cafe and author of Baking at the 20th Century Cafe. We will be making her (in)famous 12-layer honey cake on two coasts, with me doing the heavy lifting in New Jersey and Michelle guiding me from the west coast. That is going to be fun! In November and December, I am switching over to holiday baking and a few savory recipes for Thanksgiving, including my fail-proof turkey and gravy, which I have made over 300 times in classes over 30 years' worth of teaching. It ought to be perfect by now

Head to Coffee and Cake to sign up for classes or learn more.

05 Oct 2021 3:56pm GMT

03 Dec 2014 8:12pm GMT

16 Jul 2014 6:08pm GMT

Après presque un mois et demi d'absence, deux bouclages d'albums et plein de projets, je trouve enfin le
temps de poster quelque chose sur ce blog ! Ces jours-ci, je vais avoir pas mal de choses à vous montrer !
On commence tranquille avec un petit dessin aux couleurs estivales.

14 Jul 2014 4:25pm GMT