While she was more famous for her time spent in France, Julia Child also had many ties to the Washington, D.C area. During the war, she lived in the District while working at the OSS headquarters (the future CIA) before being posted to Sri Lanka where she met her husband. They were married in D.C. then moved across the Atlantic to Paris. The International Spy Museum features pictures of Julia as part of their Spies Among Us permanent exhibit which includes other celebrity spies like singer Josephine Baker and actress Marlene Dietrich. Her work as a secret operative also earned Julia a spot in an exhibit at The National Women’s History Museum: Clandestine Women, The Untold Stories of Women in Espionage.
But most Americans remember Julia Child not as a spy, but as a chef, author and television personality, who introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the mainstream, through her many cookbooks and television programs. As such, she earned a place with other high profile American figures like Kermit the Frog at the National Museum of American History. Her Cambridge, MA kitchen is feature at the Smithsonian since 2002 as part of a display titled: “Bon Appetit.” To celebrate the upcoming release of the movie “Julie & Julia” featuring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, the museum added some items to her kitchen on display: memorabilia from the movie and Child’s copper pot collection.
The National Museum of American History has some copper pots!? Big deal… the International Spy Museum and Stir Food Group (which owns Zola and Zola Wine & Kitchen) have food! On Thursday, August 20, Stir Food Group Executive Chef Bryan Moscatello invites you to dine with him and Julia to celebrate her life as both a chef and a spy. The dinner, hosted at Zola Wine & Kitchen, costs $55 per person (which includes two glasses of wine) and features a tour of the kitchen and a cooking demonstration of Child’s famous Coq au Vin by Chef Moscatello complete with food samples.
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