Annual Event to be Announced at Private Celebration for the Culinary Legacy of Julia Child
WHO: Santa Barbara Culinary Experience in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation
WHAT: To celebrate the 107th year of Julia Child’s birth, the City of Santa Barbara will proclaim August 15 as Julia Child Day in Santa Barbara. The proclamation, to be announced at a private cocktail reception at the Montecito Club August 15, 2019, recognizes celebrations across the nation in honor of Julia’s birthday, all in the spirit of showcasing her admiration, respect and need for all individuals to learn about and embrace her passion for the joys of cooking, eating and drinking well.
In conjunction with this declaration, the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts announces the launch of the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience (SBCE), a three-day event scheduled for March 13-15, 2020. The event, in partnership with the Foundation and inspired by Julia’s advocacy for sharing the education of food and drink, will be an epicurean celebration involving chefs, mixologists, restaurateurs and the local community. As a longtime resident and fan of Santa Barbara, Julia was passionate about teaching others about the culinary arts. The Santa Barbara Culinary Experience aims to gather the community and visitors to celebrate the bounty of Santa Barbara’s abundant resources found in local farms, ranches, vineyards and oceans. In celebrating Julia’s spirit, the SBCE will shine a broad-reaching light on Santa Barbara’s culinary, hospitality, tourism and larger artisan communities.
The schedule for the August 15 cocktail event at which the announcements will be made includes:
- Introduction by Eric W. Spivey, Chairman of The Julia Child Foundation of Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts
- Proclamation by Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo of the annual Julia Child Day in Santa Barbara on August 15
- Presentation of the 2020 Santa Barbara Culinary Experience and scope of activities, goals and fund-raising
- Presentation of sponsorship opportunities and at various levels and top tier benefits
- A live auction by celebrity auctioneer Billy Harris inviting guests to join the Founders Circle and be part of the exclusive Founder’s Dinner for 40 guests at The Lark, Santa Barbara’s award-winning restaurant, hosted by Executive Chef Jason Paluska with James Beard Foundation award-winning chefs Nancy Silverton, Suzanne Goin and Michael Cimarusti. The culinary all-star team will create a multi-course dinner inspired by Julia Child and her recipes paired with wines from Santa Barbara County vintners. The proceeds of the auction will benefit Santa Barbara Culinary Experience in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation.
- Reception with Julia’s favorite hors d’ oeuvres prepared by her friend Montecito Club Chef Jamie West and wines by some of Santa Barbara County’s renowned winemakers
- Birthday cake by Little Things Bakery presented in honor of Julia Child, chocolates by Jessica Foster and floral décor by Valerie Rice
- Development of Julia Child ‘map’ touring her favorite Santa Barbara destinations
Services and products for the event generously donated by:
- Montecito Club and Chef Jamie West
- Jessica Foster Confections
- Merryl Brown Events
- Jordano’s Food Service
- Floral décor created by Santa Barbara’s Valerie Rice
- “Julia Child” roses from Rose Story Farm
- Little Things Bakery
- Margerum, Barden, Grassini and Au Bon Climat Wineries
WHEN:
Julia Child Day – Thursday, August 15, 2019
Santa Barbara Culinary Experience – March 13-15, 2020
Julia Child – ©Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
ABOUT JULIA CHILD AND SANTA BARBARA:
Cookbook author, television hostess and instructor Julia Child was born 107 years ago on August 15, 1912, and is widely recognized as a respected teacher and writer, who taught generations of Americans through her classic work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking as well as through her Peabody and Emmy Award-winning television series, The French Chef. Her library of published works and many television productions continue to teach and resonate. Julia Child was a long-time resident of Santa Barbara, who dedicated her life to empowering people to cook, regardless of their professional training, encouraging them make cooking an enjoyable part of the way they interact with food. She was bestowed with the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government, the National Book Award, and was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame.
ABOUT THE JULIA CHILD FOUNDATION FOR GASTRONOMY AND THE CULINARY ARTS
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts was created by Julia in 1995 and became operational in 2004. Its mission is to honor and further Julia’s legacy, which centers on the importance of understanding where food comes from, what makes for good food, and the value of cooking. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, the Foundation is a non-profit which makes grants to support research in culinary history, scholarships for professional culinary training, food writing and media as well as professional development and food literacy programs. Over the last decade, the Foundation has made more than $2 million in grants to other non-profits. In 2015, the Foundation created the Julia Child Award, presented in association with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The annual Award honors an individual who has made a profound and significant difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks and is accompanied by a $50,000 grant from the Foundation to a food-related non-profit selected by the recipient. For more information, visit: www.juliachildfoundation.org.
For further information on the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience visit: www.sbce.events
