Julia Child's Kitchen

Julia Child's Kitchen is an inside peek into beloved cookbook author and television star Julia Child's favorite place in the world, her home kitchen, and how this space played a dynamic role in her life and has influenced how we all still cook today, by Paula Johnson, the Smithsonian curator who preserved it.

Foreword by Jacques Pépin

Julia Child's 20’ x 14’ kitchen was a serious workspace and recipe‑testing lab that exuded a sense of mid‑century homey comfort. Now, it has been on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., for most of the past twenty years and museum goers have made it a top destination. Authored by Paula Johnson, one of the original collectors and keepers of Julia Child’s home kitchen for the past twenty‑one years at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, this book provides an intimate portrait of Julia at home, first‑hand accounts of cooking with Julia in her kitchen, and a deeper understanding of why her kitchen is a window into larger themes in twentieth century American history.

Between lively narrative, compelling photography, and detailed commentary on Julia's favorite kitchen gadgets, Julia Child's Kitchen illuminates the stories behind the room's design, use, significance, and legacy, showing how deeply Julia Child continues to influence food today. 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. The kitchen’s layout, design, and contents reflect Julia’s philosophy of cooking as well as a period of social and cultural change in the United States, providing a platform for exploring such post‑World War II themes as shifting attitudes about gender roles and domesticity or the tension between tradition and innovation regarding culinary tools, materials, cooking, and food itself. This book, a beautifully designed tribute to Julia Child's legacy, will be a must‑have for every home cook and Julia Child fan.

Includes Color Photographs

This book brings Julia Child's iconic kitchen to life with vivid photos and engaging stories about how this kitchen became a supporting role in the second half of her life. Julia wasn't just a TV personality, but a pioneer of women's empowerment, transforming the kitchen from a symbol of domestic duty to a realm of culinary adventure and creativity. -- Carla Hall chef, author, and television host
Paula J. Johnson writes with the same sort of intellect and brio that Julia Child herself would have approved of. One can imagine Child hollering, ‘Bien joué,’ after reading this book. And there can be no higher compliment than that. -- Simon Majumdar food critic, chef, author, television personality, and host of the Eat My Globe podcast
I knew and loved Julia and worked with her in her kitchen, so I’m thrilled that, thanks to Paula Johnson, so many more people will come to know Julia and the joy of being in the heart of her home. -- Dorie Greenspan New York Times bestselling author
I’ll be gifting this to the young chefs in my life: food is more than recipes, and this book will be treasured by anyone looking to build a life around home cooking and the kitchen. -- Paola Velez chef and author of Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store
"Paula Johnson, one of the main people responsible for the resurrection of Julia Child’s famous Cambridge kitchen at the Smithsonian has come out with this delightful book detailing all the back stories behind that kitchen. It is a must-have for Julia Child lovers. Sara Moulton, host of Sara’s Weeknight Meals and cohost of Milk Street Radio

Paula J. Johnson is the curator of food history and director of the American Food History Project at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. She was one of the curators who originally collected the kitchen from Julia Child herself in 2001 and has worked with the kitchen and its contents for many years since, building expertise in American culinary history, food technology, history, and culture. Jacques Pépin is one of the world’s most celebrated chefs. Through his long and distinguished career as a professional chef and instructor, host of 14 popular public television series and author of dozens of cookbooks, Pépin has advanced the art and craft of culinary technique as much as any other figure of the past century. His dedication to culinary education led to the creation of the Jacques Pépin Foundation in 2016.

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