by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
Julia Child, the iconic French Chef who lives on in the memory of all foodies, would have said ‘Bon Appétit’ had she been present at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum celebrating food history and the first recipient of an award given in her name for a “significant and profound difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks.”
It was a tasty evening. Chef Carla Hall of ABC’s The Chew took to the podium within the museum to reveal that this inaugural Julia Child Award would be presented later this year to the esteemed Jacques Pépin.
Celebrity Chef Carla Hall
“I have to say that it’s because of Julia that I wanted to do food,” said Carla Hall, expressing the true honor of announcing the first award for the foundation. “Once I got into it, I’m like, who can I look at, who can I emulate?” Hall, who has been a hallmark of the DC area food scene in recent years glowed with the idea that she could be associated with Julia Child and the foundation and the way that Washington has transformed its food scene.
Carla Hall
Chef Pépin will be the first recipient of the Julia Child Award at a culinary star-studded gala in October of this year in Washington DC that will feature emcee Alton Brown, powerhouse chef Marcus Samuelsson, and presenter Daniel Boulud who will speak about Child and Pépin and also design the menu for the evening.
Baker Warren Brown inaugurates the new cooking demo stage in the American History Museum
The announcement presentation was a decisive unveiling of many sorts; welcoming a culinary crowd into the Smithsonian Museum near the Julia’s original kitchen as well as near the sight of the new Smithsonian demo kitchen. The new demo stage, seated center of the American History Museum’s west wing, includes state of the art facilities and materials from vendors like Sur La Table, Le Creuset, and KitchenAid. The stage will be used as a highlight weekly to showcase recipes and cooking demos as well as the ways it fits into the historic tapestry of American food that the museum is showing off.
The evening itself was not short on flavor. Delectable bites including a lobster roll station had guests well fed, and local baker Warren Brown dazzled from the demo stage with his take on Julia’s famous Queen of Sheba cake, a rich and fudgy chocolate tort that could cure the worst of disagreements. Food diplomacy is real and cake needs to be a part of it. The American History Museum features similar demos each Friday at 11am and 1pm in their shiny-and-new kitchen, so be sure to check it out.
As the evening drew to a close Paula Johnson, a curator for the museum’s collection, shared some memories about Julia herself who joined with the museum staff near her 90th birthday in 2002 when her kitchen became part of the Smithsonian collection. Johnson couldn’t contain a bright smile, recalling how Julia stepped inside the kitchen (a big No-No for anyone other guest, but after all, it was HER kitchen,) and when seeing all of her old tools and gadgets and memories she had to say “I feel like turning something on and starting to cook.” The moment left the museum knowing that their tribute had hit the mark and serves as the type of reminder we must all think of when we toast Julia and the culinary arts. As long as we feel like the mood strikes to turn something on and start to cook, then we have many delicious memories ahead.
American History Curator Paula Johnson
Bon Appétit to Julia!
