Media Alert
November 20, 2023
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661

Richmond, Va. – As families prepare to gather around the table this week for Thanksgiving, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture(VMHC) is preparing to serve up a new exhibition that will explore the life and legacy of American Chef and TV personality Julia Child.

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life will debut at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on March 16, 2024 and will be on view through September 2, 2024. The traveling exhibition was produced by Flying Fish and the VMHC is its only mid-Atlantic Museum stop. The major exhibition features original Julia Child archives from the Schlesinger Library at Harvard, and includes video, audio, photographs, memorabilia, and recreated scenes from the iconic chef’s life. There will also be a special section of the exhibition that explores Julia Child’s impact on the culinary culture in Virginia.

Child is renowned for bringing French cuisine to the United States through her 1961 cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and acclaimed cooking show “The French Chef,” which began its long run in 1963. Child had a transformative impact on food culture in the United States, and this exhibition reveals the charismatic, tenacious, and authentic woman whose own lust for life inspired the same in others.

From her signature dishes to her signature style, the exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in interactive spaces made famous through Child’s work. A re-creation of “The French Chef” television studio set, and dining room invites visitors to see the cooking show from Child’s point of view and star in their own culinary production. A Vintage camera in the space allows viewers to experience how the crew captured footage for the iconic television program. Photographs on view in the exhibition chronicle Child’s career and relationship with her husband Paul, who captured beautiful images that documented their lives together. Visitors can also recreate one of the couple’s well-known photos that appeared on an iconic Valentine’s Day card.

“Julia Child was a pioneer in revolutionizing the way Americans cook and eat,” Jamie Bosket, President and CEO at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture said in a statement. “Her influence can still be felt today, and this exhibition provides us with a unique opportunity to highlight Julia’s connections to Virginia and the influence of French cooking in Virginia’s culinary history.

For more information on Julia Child: A Recipe for Life please visit VirginiaHistory.org/JuliaChild

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is made possible at the VMHC by the following sponsors:

• Presenting Sponsor: Performance Food Group 
• Supporting Sponsors: Melanie Trent De Schutter; Atlantic Union Bank; Katherine & Jack Nelson 
• Sponsors: Anne Carter & Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation; Michelle Gluck & John McGurl

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life was developed by Flying Fish and Napa Valley Museum, supported by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcliffe Institute and Oceania Cruises.

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is the only institution dedicated to presenting the entire history of Virginia over time and across regions. Its nationally significant collection of more than 9 million objects, renowned research library, galleries and public programs demonstrate the centrality of Virginia to the narrative of the United States.

The VMHC is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation.