Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space by Paula J. Johnson

Julia Child’s Kitchen is a gorgeous dive into the beloved cookbook author and television star’s favorite place in the world—her home kitchen—and how this space has influenced the ways we cook today.

Foreword by Jacques Pépin

This book, a beautifully designed tribute to Julia Child’s legacy, is a must‑have for every serious home cook and Julia Child fan.

Including interviews with famous chefs who knew Julia well, commentary on her favorite kitchen gadgets, and a stunning array of photos, Julia Child’s Kitchen illuminates the stories behind the room’s design, use, and significance, revealing how Julia Child continues to impact food and cooking today.

Julia Child’s 20’ x 14’ kitchen was a serious workspace and recipe‑testing lab that exuded a sense of mid‑century homey comfort. 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.

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.

Authored by Paula J. 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.