Meeting Julia Child
Julia Child: A Recipe for Life opens this weekend at the VMHC
“Everyone has a Julia story,” quips the pope of American cuisine, Chef Patrick O’Connell of the acclaimed Inn at Little Washington. For his part, the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award recipient has several, including a charming account of a young O’Connell who bought tickets to see Julia Child soon after opening his fledgling catering company in rural Virginia, using little more than a wood-burning stove and an electric frying pan. O’Connell recounts how he made his way to Julia after her presentation and began blubbering about how he had opened a small catering company, basking in the warm glow of her attention, until he blurted out, “But I’m not making any money!”
“Oh but you will, you will!” Child trilled to her eager protégé, and O’Connell says he never again worried about money, and indeed, with the success of The Inn at Little Washington, he never had to.
O’Connell was presenting this story to a group of writers gathered for a preview of Julia Child: A Recipe for Life, a touring exhibition taking up residency at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture from March 16 until September 2. I was in attendance for the preview and for a special dinner the night before at L’Opossum, where Chef David Shannon, one of O’Connell’s mentees and a celebrated chef in his own right, shared a meal inspired by Child’s opus, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. (You can find a few dishes from the dinner, including Les Escargots à La Ham Biscuit and Filet Mignon of Beef “Swellington” on L’Opossum’s current menu should you want to recreate the experience for yourself.)
Like the dinner, which was refined but joyful, the exhibition tells a story of the joyfulness that characterized Child’s life, sharing sonnets written for Child by her husband, Paul, and including an extremely fun photo opp where visitors can snap a selfie in a clawfoot bathtub in front of a picture of Julia and Paul in the tub for Valentine’s Day. “You really feel, when you go through the exhibit, that she’s here with us,” O’Connell remarked. “She’s been brought back to life in the most wonderful way.”
Meandering through the exhibition, you get a sense of how spellbound the American public was (and still is) by Child. There are retro televisions showing episodes of The French Chef and a real working model of the kitchen set that visitors can explore (another fantastic selfie opp). There’s also a nod to Virginia chefs, including Shannon as well as Belmont Butchery owner Tanya Cauthen, Cou Cou Rachou pastry chef Rachel De Jong, and Richmond dining legend, Jimmy Sneed, who appeared on an episode of In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs in 1992 (Highly recommend watching a few episodes to catch glimpses of culinary juggernauts in primo 90s style).
At the entrance to the exhibition, Chef O’Connell’s cherry red wood-fired stove (the one he used to launch his culinary career) is prominently displayed The cheery, old-timey oven is a fitting symbol for Child and her influence on the culinary arts in America. As he concluded his remarks to our group, O’Connell shared that, many years after that first meeting, Child called on the chef to prepare dinner for her 90th birthday. The menu? Cheeseburgers, french fries, caesar salad, and hot fudge sundaes.
That inspired me to think about where I’d go for the same meal. Can Can Brasserie checked the most boxes on this one. It’s nearby, appropriately French, and their cheeseburger and fries are top of their class. There’s also a caesar salad on the menu (it’s ‘truffled,’ which could go wrong quickly for me, but it feels fitting for Julia), and while they don’t have a hot fudge sundae on the menu (Yet!?), they do have both ice cream and chocolate ganache on the menu, so I’m thinking they’re about as close as you can get to Child’s vision, and within walking distance of the VMHC.
Elsewhere, you could have a very Julia-friendly experience at Grisette, where steak frites with a salad on the side and profiteroles for dessert is the obvious move. In related news, I stumbled upon an event VMHC is hosting in April called the Julia Child Cookoff, where local restaurants (including Can Can and Grisette) will prepare their own riffs on Child’s dishes and guests can vote for their favorites.
For fans of Julia Child, this is an exceptional exhibition—thorough, thoughtful, and fun as heck. And, for my local readers, it’s the last time it’s going to be in near proximity to us, so make a plan to visit at least once this summer before we must bid Julia Child adieu.
xox
SG
Oh I hope I can get to the exhibit - it looks amazing!