The Julia Child Article

Julia Child’s Kitchen – My fav monument in Washington D.C.

When I saw it, my jaw dropped. “My God, it looks just like my Mom’s kitchen.”

At first glance, Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian Museum is an exhibit of mass confusion. Everything is inexplicably out on the counters including bottles of vinegars and olive oils, countless pepper grinders stashed into every nook and cranny, dozens and dozens of copper pans, pastry cutters, carving knives, whisks of every size and even a menacing hack saw hanging off a pegboard wall.

But, the longer you look, the more it all seems to make sense. The countless knives and forks are neatly collected in canisters in one corner. A gaggle of measuring cups (some scraped with the letter ”J”) hang next to the counter for rolling out dough. A plain plastic garbage bin sits in the middle of the kitchen floor ready for service. Even a jar of Skippy peanut butter is perched beside the flour and sugar canisters because you never know when you’ll want a quick snack.

SONY DSCUnglamourous – maybe.

But basic, homey, happy and completely functional for a person who loves to cook – yes.

For this is holy ground. This is the kitchen of Julia Child (1912-2004), the legendary American chef who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to America with her cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking, and her television programs. I could almost smell the rosemary and garlic chicken roasting in the oven.

SONY DSCBefore Julia Child moved back to her home state of California in 2001, she donated the kitchen from her Cambridge, Massachusetts home to the Smithsonian Museum. This exhibit features the actual kitchen, including cabinets, appliances, cookbooks, kitchen table, and hundreds of utensils and gadgets.

When Julia and her husband Paul moved into their home, on Irving Street in Cambridge, in 1961, they set out to renovate Julia’s ninth kitchen. Paul designed the 14′ X 20′ kitchen with 38-inch high maple countertops, rather than the standard 36-inch height, for her 6-foot-2-inch frame. Paul also selected the light blue-green color scheme of the kitchen’s cupboards with the simple round metal drawer pulls.

SONY DSCOne end of the kitchen is anchored with Julia’s loved Garland gas stove and oven.

SONY DSCThe other end of the kitchen is a wall of pots and pans that hang from pegboard panels.

SONY DSCThe windows are covered with simple blinds opened to a view of Irving Street. Opposite the windows is a wall of cupboards where Julia stored spices, tea, instant coffee, and syrups.

It was only after an hour and a half in the kitchen did I notice cat tea cosies on top of the fridge and the cat art tucked between the kitchen utensils on the walls. Julia’s kitchen also had a junk drawer just like my Mom’s.

SONY DSCThe exhibition gives an excellent history of Julia’s rise to culinary stardom. Through her books and television career that spanned 44 years, Julia Child brought her love of food and cooking into the homes of North Americans.

SONY DSCWashington D.C. has magnificent monuments – Lincoln, Jefferson, Martin Luther King.

But as a Kitchenmaniac, my favorite monument is Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian.

* Credit and thanks for the information and photos from the Julia Child Exhibit goes to the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Ave, NW. Washington, D.C.http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/food

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