JULIA LAUGHING ON SET OF THE FRENCH CHEF WHILE FILMING EPISODE #131: LOBSTER THERMIDOR, MAY 13, 1966. PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL CHILD © THE SCHLESINGER LIBRARY, HARVARD RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

Calling all foodies. Here is a unique opportunity to combine a love of food and travel. Visit the “Julia Child: A Recipe for Life” exhibit at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC), from March 16-Sept. 2, 2024, the only East Coast stop on a national tour.

The exhibition will feature video, audio, photographs, memorabilia, recreated scenes from the chef’s life and a special section exclusive to VMHC that highlights Julia Child’s impact on generations of Virginians.

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. This exhibition reveals the charismatic, tenacious and authentic woman whose lust for life inspired the same in others.

JULIA IN THE DINING ROOM OF THE FRENCH CHEF SET WITH A PLATTER OF FOIE DE VOLAILLE, OR POULTRY LIVER. 1963. PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL CHILD © THE SCHLESINGER LIBRARY, HARVARD RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

The exhibition at VMHC 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 visitors to experience how the crew captured footage for the iconic television program. Photographs in the exhibition chronicle Child’s career and relationship with her husband, 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.

To Child, food was best enjoyed as an experience which coalesced around the dining table. Throughout the exhibition, tables are set to represent different periods of Child’s life, each activated by food, scents, books and letters.

Visitors are immersed in the sights and sounds of Paris, the city Child came to love and the place that inspired her remarkable culinary career. A re-creation of La Couronne, the restaurant in Normandy where she had her first French meal, offers an intimate glimpse into how eating sole meunière sparked her passion for the cuisine.

“Julia Child: A Recipe for Life” is a touring exhibition produced and managed by Flying Fish, developed in collaboration with Napa Valley Museum, under the rights granted by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University and is generously supported by Oceania Cruises. The exhibition’s visit to the VMHC is made possible with generous funds provided by presenting sponsor Performance Food Group.