Always an innovator -- it was she who first introduced the American mainstream to the art of French cooking -- she's now the subject of the first major motion picture based on a blog, Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep. Viewers can learn a bout the life of Julia Child in a retrospective of her cooking programs in Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom, airing Tuesday, July 28 at 8/7 p.m. CT on KET2 and Sunday, Aug. 16 at 2/1 p.m. CT on KET1.

Featuring photographs taken by her husband, Paul Child, between 1963 and 1983, the program offers a fond look at the 6-foot, 2-inch chef and author with the charming, warbly voice and unaffected manner. It also features personal memories from her colleagues and fans.

Introduced to French cooking by her husband, Child attended the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and went on to author the 734-page Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 1961. Still considered a seminal culinary work, it was the first of many cookbooks and other works she authored until her death in 2004.

Although not the first host of a cooking program, Child quickly became one of the best known. Following her appearance on a book review show on Boston's public television station, WGBH, she was asked to demonstrate how to properly cook an omelet. That led to the debut of The French Chef in 1963, which aired nationally for 10 years and won Peabody and Emmy Awards, including the first Emmy Award for an educational program. Her television kitchen is permanently on display in the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian.

Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom is produced by A La Carte Productions.