While men had long been the masters of the professional kitchen, it was women who were the keepers of cuisines. In America, it was women who understood the emotional roots of cooking and its cultural origins, and introduced us to the bounty of possibilities beyond frozen TV dinners.

For French cooking, it was Julia Child who explained the nuance and beauty to American palates, through her books at first, but ultimately it was television that brought her into so many homes. For Italian cuisine, it has been Lidia Bastianich, who comes to Nashville on Tuesday for two special fundraising events.

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Source: http://www.tennessean.com/