In fact, the earlier part of their evening together in the episode could have easily happened in New York City, where Beard had hosted Child, when she returned from France to promote the release of Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 1961. “I thought, ‘How great would it be for Julia to meet a drag performer as her?’ And then we were trying to figure out, ‘Well, who would bring her there? How would it happen?’ And then we got James, who’s favorite city in America, and maybe the world, is San Francisco,” Goldfarb explains. What Goldfarb does know to be true is that all the series’ components spoke to real moments in Child’s life, from the chef being embraced by the counterculture to her well-documented friendship with Beard. It could have happened, but we don’t know if it necessarily did.” “But it’s based in fact,” he quickly adds, explaining that the episode, like the entire season, “is all based on facts, but it’s sort of like the Amadeus version of Julia’s life.
When it comes to this moment between “the two huge American food icons,” Julia creator and writer Daniel Goldfarb tells T&C, “their fun weekend in San Francisco, that’s all fiction.”
It’s one of those moments that begs to be Googled: Did Julia Child and James Beard, the openly gay pioneering chef whose notoriety spawned the annual culinary James Beard Awards, spend all night partying with drag queens? But the results won’t pull up an archived news story or entry from one of the many biographies written about Beard or Child. Georgie's, he said, "was kind of a stamp of approval that the Grand Central District and those surrounding neighborhoods were something worth investing in.As the evening progresses, Child meets an adoring fan and drag queen named Coco, who is dressed just like the chef and pulls her idol up on stage for a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “It Had to Be You.” "It really made people feel more comfortable," he said. Many newer establishments in the Grand Central District and downtown owe some success to Georgie's, said Brian Longstreth of Your Neighborhood Realty Inc., a founder of St. Gofrank and his managers held forums, organized fundraisers and backed progressive city council members who would best serve their customers. Georgie's provided the drinks for Equality Florida's annual gala, Barnum said. The bar donated to groups such as the Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association and police benevolent organizations. Pete Pride parade, where the floats queued and the first beads were tossed each year. The area around the bar served as a gathering spot and kickoff for the annual St. While Georgie's gained popularity, Gofrank and his employees cut an increasingly wide swath in the community. Gofrank said he and a few other cofounders "didn't feel that the gay community needed to be hidden." "Gay bars up until the Alibi were basically on a dirt road - no lights, no shine," said Bob Barnum, who brokered the sale for Gofrank.
When it opened in 2000, it was among the first gay bars to feature open windows and an outdoor patio in Tampa Bay, unlike some dives with no windows in seedy neighborhoods. I've dated men and gone downtown to the bars and have been able to kiss my boyfriend or hold his hand in public, and nobody even blinks anymore."Ĭostelli said he has seen a steady decline in business in the last decade, fueled by dating sites and growing inclusion. "Back in the day, gay people pretty much had to go to their own place to feel safe," said bar manager Frank Costelli, 36. The same issue has felled gay bars from San Francisco to London, prompting headlines like "The Vanishing Terrain of Gay America" and "The Lost Gay Bars of San Francisco." "We've joked numerous times with friends that we see more gay people at the bars downtown than at traditional gay bars."
"You can go any place that I've been here and feel welcome," said Eric Skains, executive director of St.
They have moved from the margins to Central Avenue. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, people are no longer a niche customer base without options. And if that's the cost of people having their equal rights, it's a small price to pay." "But while it's sad that the Alibi is closing, we certainly embrace that progress. "We've been huge supporters of equality in many ways, and that same equality and acceptance has played a role in our demise," said owner Ron Gofrank. After 15 years, Georgie's Alibi will close for good Sept.