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Join us for a conversation that?s sure to warm your heart (and make your stomach rumble), as we delve into the legacy of cooking icon Julia Child with Smithsonian historian Paula J. Johnson.
Join us for a conversation that’s sure to warm your heart (and make your stomach rumble), as we delve into the legacy of cooking icon Julia Child with Smithsonian curator and public historian Paula J. Johnson, author of Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space. The book includes interviews with chefs who knew Julia well, commentary on her favorite culinary tools and kitchen gadgets, and a stunning array of photos.
Julia Child's 20’ x 14’ kitchen was a serious workspace and recipe?testing lab that exuded a sense of mid?century homey comfort. It has been on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., for most of the past twenty-three years, and museum goers have made it a top destination.
The kitchen contains more than one thousand parts and pieces—tools, appliances, utensils, furniture, artwork, knick?knacks, books, and bits of whimsy—all reflecting Julia’s status as an accomplished chef, gastronome, delightful cooking teacher, television trailblazer, women’s advocate, mentor, and generous, jovial friend.
Julia Child’s Kitchen (and this online conversation) is a must?have for every serious home cook and Julia Child fan.
About the Author:
Paula J. Johnson is a curator and public historian at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. She conducts research and collects objects relating to the history and culture of American food and serves as the Director of the Smithsonian’s Food History Project. Johnson was one of the curators who collected Julia Child’s home kitchen in 2001 and led the team that created FOOD: Transforming the American Table, a multi-layered exhibition that explores the major changes in food production, distribution, and consumption in the United States since the 1950s. She has shaped and contributed to many public programs on food history and leads the annual “Food History Weekend.” Johnson is the author of many articles and three books, including Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space (2024). She received the Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities Award in 2020.
Johnson began her museum career at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland, and has worked at the Smithsonian since 1991. She is a member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and Les Dames d’ Escoffier. She serves on the editorial collective for Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies.
This program is brought to you through the generosity of the Friends of the Reading Public Library. Thank you, Friends!
Check out more upcoming virtual author talks and enjoy recordings from past events by exploring our Friends Speaker Series page.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Virtual Event | Friends Sponsored Program | Friends Speaker Series | Author Event |
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To ask questions about accessibility or request accommodations, please contact the library at rdgadmin@noblenet.org.
If the Reading Public schools are closed due to snow, all Children's programming will be canceled.
