Peering through acrylic viewports (placed where windows and doorways were located in the original house), the display of Julia Child’s kitchen in our FOOD exhibition appears exactly as it was in her Cambridge, Massachusetts home. From fish scalers to a bone saw, the kitchen features hundreds of objects that she used for preparing meals and while teaching millions of Americans about food, cooking, and the pleasures of the table. Many of the objects might seem familiar; perhaps you even have similar items at home. But what about the other culinary tools and gadgets that are less familiar? What do the kitchen and its contents reveal about her and food history? What stories do they tell?
In a new book, “Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space,” museum Food History Curator Paula Johnson explores these stories and more through a deep dive into Child’s favorite room in her home, her kitchen. Featuring a foreword by chef, cookbook author, television star, and devoted friend of Julia, Jacques Pépin, the book contains hundreds of newly photographed objects and their associated stories that provide a fresh look at Julia’s kitchen and her monumental legacy.
The book is now available for preorder at your local booksellers and will launch on Oct. 8.
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