For a generation of chefs and home cooks, she was simply “The French Chef,” the eccentric television personality who left an indelible mark on American food.

As we approach Julia Child’s 100th birthday in August, we’d like to hear what she meant to you. Did you come of culinary age watching her on public television or struggle to replicate the continental classics she wrote about in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking?” Do you have a favorite recipe from Child’s repertoire? Tell us about it.

Send email to aweigl@newsobserver.com or send a note to Andrea Weigl, The News & Observer, 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, N.C. 27601. We’ll share your remembrances – and those of some professional chefs who were inspired by Child – later this summer.