Virtual Author Visit with Paula J. Johnson Online
The Legacy of Julia Child's Kitchen with Author and Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson, A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration, Tuesday December 9th at 2 PM ET / 1 PM CT / 12PM MT / 11 AM PT
Join us for a conversation that’s sure to warm your heart (and make your stomach rumble), as we delve into the legacy of cooking icon Julia Child with Smithsonian curator and public historian Paula J. Johnson, author of Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space. The book includes interviews with chefs who knew Julia well, commentary on her favorite culinary tools and kitchen gadgets, and a stunning array of photos.
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-three years, and museum goers have made it a top destination.
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.
Julia Child’s Kitchen (and this online conversation) is a must‑have for every serious home cook and Julia Child fan. Register now to enter the discussion and learn more about how Julia Child continues to influence food today!
About the Author:
Paula J. Johnson is a curator and public historian at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of
American History in Washington, DC. She conducts research and collects objects relating to
the history and culture of American food and serves as the Director of the Smithsonian’s
Food History Project. Johnson was one of the curators who collected Julia Child’s home
kitchen in 2001 and led the team that created FOOD: Transforming the American Table, a
multi-layered exhibition that explores the major changes in food production, distribution,
and consumption in the United States since the 1950s. She has shaped and contributed to
many public programs on food history and leads the annual “Food History Weekend.”
Johnson is the author of many articles and three books, including Julia Child’s Kitchen: The
Design, Tools Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space (2024). She received the Smithsonian
Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities Award in 2020.
Johnson began her museum career at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland,
and has worked at the Smithsonian since 1991. She is a member of the Association for the
Study of Food and Society and Les Dames d’ Escoffier. She serves on the editorial collective
for Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies.