Powell, a native Texan, was a struggling writer living in New York in 2002 when she set out to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s book in the space of a year. Powell’s popular blog was then published as a book in 2005, titled Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen and then a 2009 paperback, Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.
The book then inspired the 2009 film Julie & Julia directed by Nora Ephron, with Meryl Streep playing Julia Child and Amy Adams playing Powell.
Since the success of Julie & Julia, Powell went on to write one more in 2009, Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession.
Powell’s publisher, Judy Clain of Little, Brown and Co, shared a tribute for the late author: “Julie & Julia became an instant classic and it is with gratitude for her unique voice that we will now remember Julie’s dazzling brilliance and originality.”