Julia Child's kitchen
Encyclopedia
Julia Child's kitchen is an historic artifact on display on the ground floor of the Smithsonian Institution
's National Museum of American History
: Kenneth E. Behring Center, located in Washington, D.C.
, on the National Mall
. The kitchen is not a replica, but is the actual kitchen
used by noted 20th century cookbook
author and cooking show
host Julia Child
, appearing as the backdrop to several of her television shows.
, Massachusetts
in 1961, the kitchen was designed by her husband Paul with 38-inches high countertops, rather than the standard 36-inch height, for her 6-foot-2-inch frame. Paul also selected the light blue-green color scheme dominating the kitchen's panel
s.
It was the setting for three of her television shows: In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, Baking With Julia
, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home with Jacques Pépin
. The kitchen was fully transformed into a functional set
, with TV-quality lighting, three cameras positioned to catch all angles in the room, and a massive center island with a gas stovetop on one side and an electric stovetop on the other, but leaving the rest of the Childs' appliances alone, including the "wall oven with its squeaking door." During taping, the kitchen table and chairs were removed and replaced by a cooking island that had a built-in stovetop and food preparation surfaces. This kitchen backdrop hosted nearly all of Child's 1990s television series.
In August 2001, representatives of the Smithsonian Institution met with Child in her home, where she agreed to donate her kitchen to the Institution, where it is now on display. Shortly after Child's 90th birthday, on August 18 and 19, 2002, Child attended the opening of the display of her kitchen. Her iconic copper pots and pans were on display at COPIA
in Napa, California
, until August 2009 when they were reunited with her kitchen at the National Museum of American History.
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
: Kenneth E. Behring Center, located in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
. The kitchen is not a replica, but is the actual kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
used by noted 20th century cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
author and cooking show
Cooking show
A TV cooking show is a television program that presents the preparation of food, in a kitchen on the studio set. The host of the show, often a celebrity chef, prepares one or more dishes over the course of the show, taking the viewing audience through the food's preparation showing all...
host Julia Child
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
, appearing as the backdrop to several of her television shows.
History
Built in Child's home on Irving Street in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1961, the kitchen was designed by her husband Paul with 38-inches high countertops, rather than the standard 36-inch height, for her 6-foot-2-inch frame. Paul also selected the light blue-green color scheme dominating the kitchen's panel
Wall panel
A wall panel is single piece of material, usually flat and cut into a rectangular shape, that serves as the visible and exposed covering for a wall. Wall panels are functional as well as decorative, providing insulation and soundproofing, combined with uniformity of appearance, along with some...
s.
It was the setting for three of her television shows: In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, Baking With Julia
Baking With Julia
Baking With Julia is an American television cooking program produced by Julia Child and the name of the book which accompanied the series. Each episode featured one pastry chef or baker who demonstrates professional techniques that can be performed in a home kitchen...
, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home with Jacques Pépin
Jacques Pépin
Jacques Pépin is an internationally recognized French chef, television personality, and author working in the United States. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Lyon in France, Pepin was raised by a father and mother who jointly owned a restaurant, where he later credited the start of his love for food. He...
. The kitchen was fully transformed into a functional set
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
, with TV-quality lighting, three cameras positioned to catch all angles in the room, and a massive center island with a gas stovetop on one side and an electric stovetop on the other, but leaving the rest of the Childs' appliances alone, including the "wall oven with its squeaking door." During taping, the kitchen table and chairs were removed and replaced by a cooking island that had a built-in stovetop and food preparation surfaces. This kitchen backdrop hosted nearly all of Child's 1990s television series.
In August 2001, representatives of the Smithsonian Institution met with Child in her home, where she agreed to donate her kitchen to the Institution, where it is now on display. Shortly after Child's 90th birthday, on August 18 and 19, 2002, Child attended the opening of the display of her kitchen. Her iconic copper pots and pans were on display at COPIA
COPIA
COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts was a cultural museum and education center dedicated to the discovery, understanding, and celebration of wine, food and the arts in American culture. COPIA was located in the Napa Valley in the town of Napa, California...
in Napa, California
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
, until August 2009 when they were reunited with her kitchen at the National Museum of American History.