Celebrating Julia Child and the Documentary "Julia"
The beautifully produced documentary, "Julia" is now playing in theaters - I encourage you all to see it.
Earlier this week, Cinema Society, Chef Daniel Boulud, and I hosted a reception celebrating Julia Child and the new documentary directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, and executive-produced by Ron Howard, Alex Prud'homme, and Brian Grazer under Imagine Entertainment and CNN Films. The event was held in New York City. Chef Daniel and I curated a wonderful menu filled with many of the delicious dishes Julia taught us all how to make in her landmark books and television shows, including Beef Bourguignon, Potato Gratin Dauphinois, Moules à la Marinière, and Pâté en Croûte. And for dessert, we enjoyed Apple Tart Tatins and Chocolate Mousse. It was an honor to co-host the gathering and to celebrate the life of such an incredible chef and teacher -- Julia Child.
Here are some photos.
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- The event was held at One Vanderbilt, a New York City skyscraper near the iconic Grand Central Terminal. Here I am with Chef Daniel Boulud next to the poster for the new documentary “Julia” – about the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- It was so nice to see our own team gathered together for the event. Here I am with Jason Schrieber, Greg Lofts, Molly Wenk, Sarah Carey, Thomas Joseph, Heather Kirkland, and Kevin Sharkey. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Cocktails included Julia Child’s “Upside Down Martini” and a selection of wines and spirits. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Here I am with award winning actor, F. Murray Abraham. You may recall him in the leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film, Amadeus, for which he won an Oscar. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Here’s a lovely snapshot of Cinema Society’s Andrew Saffir, Kevin, my longtime publicist Susan Magrino, and Daniel Benedict. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Also in attendance – “Julia” executive producer, Alex Prud’homme, director Betsy West, and chef and cookbook author, Sara Moulton. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Andrew and I stopped for this snapshot with model Maye Musk. Maye is also the mother of business entrepreneur, Elon Musk, the founder, CEO, and Chief Engineer at SpaceX and an early-stage investor, CEO, and Product Architect of Tesla, Inc. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Jonathan Cheban, also known as Foodgod, is an American reality television personality, and entrepreneur. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Here I am joined by fashion designer, Donna Karan. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- I brought with me the dog-eared first edition of Julia’s cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” that I purchased in the 1960s. I used it countless times and now keep it in a very special place in my cookbook library for reference. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Before the screening began, Betsy addressed the audience and welcomed everyone to the event. At just 95 minutes, this film chronicled Child’s life, much of it told through her own archival interviews and personal letters and diary entries. I also made some opening remarks that included my personal thoughts and stories about Julia. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Afterwards, we enjoyed dishes inspired by Julia Child herself. These are Nicoise Lettuce Wraps. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- The Moules à la Marinière was a big favorite. Moules à la marinière is a classic French dish that consists of mussels cooked in cider or wine-based sauces. The dish is typically made with shallots, garlic, and herbs. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- This is called Pâté en Croute – pâté cooked in a puff pastry and served as a cold starter. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Potato Gratin dauphinois is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked in milk or cream, using the gratin technique, from the Dauphiné region in south-eastern France. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Here is Chef Daniel with a large platter of Beef Bourguignon – one of Julia’s specialties. Beef Bourguignon is a beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, typically flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- For dessert, guests enjoyed Apple Tarte Tatin – a pastry in which the fruit is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. It was among Julia’s most loved recipes. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- And, a decadent Chocolate Mousse. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- Chef Daniel brought in a photo of himself and Julia standing in a kitchen years ago. (Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA.com)
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- It was a wonderful event and a beautiful tribute to the very special, very talented, and very inspiring Julia Child. I hope you all go out to see the documentary.
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