[citation needed] After World War II, Louisette Bertholle, who had the idea of writing a French cookbook for American cooks, met Simone Beck via the Le Cercle des Gourmettes culinary club and the two began to develop the concept further, collecting recipes and testing them.

Their initial attempts at writing were unsuccessful, however their idea was rekindled in 1949 when they met Julia Child.

It was created to give French cooking lessons to American women living in Paris where the three friends proudly wore aprons adorned with their school's logo.

Years later, Child pinned the patch to her blouse during cooking demonstrations and her television series, The French Chef.

[1] The three women had initially signed a contract to publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking with Houghton Mifflin.