Image by By James Paul Brown. Submitted by Toby Rowland-Jones

My fondest memory of Julia is my first. My then-wife Janet Stampfl and I were staying at Les Prés d’Eugénie, Michel Guerard’s Michelin 3-star in the southwest of France in 1981. The first night we recognized Julia and Paul Child in the dining room, but left them alone. The next night they were with a group of ten Americans at the table right next to ours. At one point one of them got up to take a picture of the table, and I asked if he would like me to take it so he could be in it. He accepted, I took the picture, and we were invited to join their group in the bar for after-dinner drinks.

At the bar, at my prompting, Janet told Julia about making her Gâteau des Trois Mages, complete with caramel cage, to which Julia, sounding for all the world like Dan Ackroyd doing Julia on SNL, said “Oh my, that’s a tricky one” and commiserated with her about her own tribulations making the cake as a demonstration.

Julia then told us all that she and “Bobby Mondavi” had just founded an organization called The American Institute of Wine & Food, and since – given where we were – we all obviously appreciated good wine and food, we all should join. In her shaky handwriting, she wrote out the address to which we should send our checks. I followed her instructions, and have been involved with the New York Chapter and AIWF National ever since, to my personal pleasure and professional benefit.

Submitted by Drew Jaglom

I give full credit to Julia Child many years ago for my involvement in The AIWF. It started with an AIWF event announcement in the food section of The Boston Globe. I had never heard of The American Institute of Wine & Food, but as someone who had gone to culinary school after law school in the 1980's and was involved in a hobby growing out of control following chefs, food writers, and culinary trends nonstop, how could I resist an event at Julia's home in Cambridge? To attend, one needed to be a member of The AIWF, so I joined with my husband. The rest started a relationship with this wonderful organization and a life time of friendship, education, and community service with those sharing the same passion. In addition to Julia's warmth, hospitality, enthusiasm for The AIWF and being in the kitchen I had seen on TV, it was a time of firsts for me at her home. For example, I experienced eating Terra Chips before they were known and witnessed a magnificent sabre demonstration with champagne flowing into glasses set up in a tree formation. Julia, along with her team, encouraged my greater involvement with The AIWF. It has truly enriched my life. I will always be grateful. Fond memories of her live on in my heart. On a daily perspective, in my kitchen I have framed pictures of us together, several autographed cookbooks, and was most fortunate to have the winning bid on a selection of her cookware at an AIWF national auction. Thank you Julia for being an inspiration to us all!

Submitted by Lisa Lipton National Chair AIWF July 2008- January 2012

I have many, many memories over several decades. We talked politics as much as wine and food. Julia would always make sure I ate everything and anything with butter and/or cream. Breakfast/brunch, if she had her way, had eggs benedict and, of course, bacon. While she was still traveling to Napa, I would often drive and accompany her for the day. I have distinct memories of Julia sharing her curiosity and generosity with others. I also remember Julia seemed to be picking up steam as the nights wore on, which meant very late nights with lots of friends around the table. Everyone wanted to be there. Great memories.

Submitted by Tor Kenward

I grew up with a check from Julia Child on our kitchen wall. Food & Wine magazine had just dedicated their entire editorial to a cookbook my mother wrote. When my mother walked into a bookstore in NYC to find the magazine, what she found inside was much better--Julia Child autographing a recent cookbook. They met and Julia soon sent a check for my mother's cookbook. Julia got the cookbook, but the bank never got the check.

I met Julia Child at her 90th birthday party at the Four Seasons in Washington, DC. I mentioned to her that she had met my mother several times when they did cooking demonstrations together. While I'm sure that Julia did not remember her, she graciously touched my arm, said to be sure to give my mother her love, and proceeded to get to know me. What a gracious, lovely woman. She never let her fame go to her head and was always interested in others, even total strangers like me.

Submitted by Meredith Light

In 2001, I returned to the Bay Area from 12 years in Las Vegas. I had a list of things to accomplish, now called a "bucket list". One of those items was meeting Julia Child. I was hired as a line cook for the opening of Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts. I will never forget standing on the line during the opening activities, and looking up and seeing Robert Mondavi and Julia Child seated at the counter for an interview. It was breathtaking.

Julia graciously agreed to sign books one afternoon, and I of course brought several. After about the third time I said, “It's for Elizabeth.” She gave me a look that made me feel a little sheepish...(hence the sideways grin in the photo!)

I never did see Julia in person again, but I did go on to work for Mr. Mondavi at the winery, and returned to Copia in 2008, as a Senior Culinary Educator.

Every morning, I would pass by the gigantic portraits of Mr. Mondavi and Julia, and say good morning, and thank you.

Sadly, we have lost Copia, and Mr. Mondavi, and Julia, but the memories of those times and their influence, will be with me forever. Cheers!

Submitted by Elizabeth Skylar

Friends introduced us to Julia. We invited them, some other friends and family, and Julia to dinner. We prepared some nice appetizers with wine, great soup, a salad and, as I recall, broiled baby lamp chops with the appropriate veggies. Then we had dessert and another glass of wine.

Julia seemed to enjoy all of it, except she would not touch the salad. Of course we did not ask why not. A couple of years later we saw her being interviewed by Larry King who asked her about her favorite food, to which she answered she did not have any. Then he asked if there was something she did not like. She emphatically pounded the table and said, “I hate arugula!” Guess what the salad we served her was full of?

I also took her to several movies, toward her end in her wheelchair. She would attentively sit for a few minutes. Then into the movie she would wake up and exclaim, "How wonderful!" in her high-pitched voice and went right back to sleep.

Submitted by Gene Sinser

In the late 80s I was the very young PR director at Hyatt Regency Ravinia charged with the task of setting up media interviews for Julia Child. She and Robert Mondavi were coming to Atlanta for an American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF) event. My heart was pounding as I dialed her Boston telephone number but I had to giggle when she trilled "Hellooooooooooooooo" on the other end. She was so accommodating with my requests and agreed to spend one day with me during her visit, going from TV station to print media to radio station interviews. As you can guess, that was the easiest press trip I have ever booked as all the Atlanta media wanted to meet her!

Imagine my surprise when, after an early morning TV gig, she announced that she'd like to go have her hair done at Carter-Barnes at Phipps. I had booked her every minute of the day and now I had to reschedule everything, leaving us very little time for lunch. She left for her 2 hour wash-and-set and I started making phone calls! When she was finished we had a mere 30 minutes before our next appointment, a ribbon cutting at the Gwinnett Daily News test kitchen, something I could not change. I suggested a deli at Phipps but in her shrill voice she said, "I always find those sandwiches quite soggy, don't you?" Nervous, I agreed that maybe it wasn't the best but mentioned that we were on a bit of a schedule and needed to eat quickly. This is when she said, "Well, is there a McDonald's nearby?" I was horrified! But she assured me that would be perfect. "I like McDonald's. It's always consistent. Plus we can eat in the car." Oh my. So, I drove Julia Child through the McDonald's drive-thru, with her newly coiffed hair grazing the roof of my little Honda Civic. She had a cheeseburger, fries and a shake and insisted on paying for my meal too.

That afternoon, at our last appointment of the day, I was sitting in the sound booth of WSB radio station while the DJ interviewed Julia Child. I told my story to the sound guys who loved it and tipped off the DJ at the break. Her last question to Julia Child was, "So, Mrs. Child, in our city with all our fine, fine restaurants, please, tell us where you had lunch today." Without missing a beat, Julia proudly answered, "Ooooooh, McDonald's!

Wow. How to limit my memories. I met Julia several times, but the one that stands out the most was her birthday party in Baltimore at Caves Valley Country Club. I was fortunate to get to sit next to her at the dinner. Beforehand, she was signing books for the guests. I brought my beat-up paperback, "The French Chef Cookbook" and asked her to sign it. It automatically fell open to her onion soup recipe (page 293!). I told her, when I was in school, her recipes, for a poor student, cost so little but meant so much. I didn't want a new book signed; I wanted the book that started me on my culinary adventures autographed.

Now, if you want a story about Crawfish Boils, I have a wonderful one. At dinner we started discussing food and locations (what else?) and I mentioned a party in New Orleans with some motorcyclists. She asked what was in the boil. I said, “Crawfish, corn, onions, potatoes, etc.” She asked if we had artichokes, and I said I didn't think they were really into them. She said, "You must have artichokes." I promised next time to see what I could do. My dream was to have a bunch of "bikers" all holding artichokes and saluting her, but it never came to be. Regardless, I have never eaten a crawfish without remembering her. So, onion soup and crawfish and fond memories of Julia Child. She was the mentor to so many of us….she will never be forgotten. Love ya, Jules.

Submitted by Jay Block

When I was a student at Harvard, I was shopping at Legal Seafoods in Inman Square, which was at the time a lower middle class neighborhood of Cambridge. And then I heard the voice. She was looking at a monk fish in the case and said to the monger, "I'm going to turn this ugly beast into a prince on my show tonight!"

I went over to Julia and told her how much I enjoyed her and asked if she needed any interns to help out on the show. It was a happy moment for me when she said, "We can always use a young man like you on the show. Come by the set and see Paul tomorrow"; and she gave me the address.

I worked behind the scenes for a year and a half and fondly remember her inviting the crew to her house on the other side of Harvard Square to thank us with a dinner party.

John Blanchette

I had worked for the late Peter Kump at The James Beard Foundation in the organization's earliest years. Donald Trump and his then-wife, Ivana, had just bought The Plaza Hotel.

I said to Peter, "Why don't we allow the Trumps to host a dinner to honor The James Beard Foundation? That will add to their luster."

Peter liked the idea, saying sensibly, "We'll need to make our proposal irresistible. What can we add?"

We decided on a Hollywood-style roast; clearly, we were going to require a Guest of Honor with a big-name draw.

Julia Child was the obvious choice.

Peter called her at once. After a brief conversation, he hung up, visibly disappointed. "Julia doesn't like the idea of being roasted. She's seen some of these affairs and thinks that they are unkind. She's afraid that her feelings will get hurt."

I had a brain-storm. "Call her back and tell her we don't want to roast her, only to braise. Gentler heat."

He did that and Julia liked the suggestion! Thought it was very funny.

I made an appointment with Mrs. Trump's personal assistant. She and I worked out the broader terms of the agreement of our joint "Braise of Julia Child Gala" to be committed to writing near in the future.

Eventually news of the Trumps’ break-up spread over New York, so I called Ivana’s beleaguered assistant who assured me that all of the Trumps' business matters would continue as planned.

The James Beard Foundation, however, did not hear again from Ivana Trump or her assistant. Not that week, not that month ... not ever.

And this is why, to repeat an old comedy club phrase, Julia Child never had a dinner.

Submitted by Judith Segal

I was a charter member of the original AIWF when Julia formed it. I have never known a more upbeat woman in my life. When Fess Parker opened his hotel in Santa Barbara, after the Mayor had declared it ostentatious, Julia came up to me and remarked how lucky we were to have such a wonderful hotel in our small town.

I once telephoned her on another occasion and got her answering machine asking me to leave a message. Never expecting a call back because of how busy she was, I was surprised three days later when she called me apologizing for being out of town and unable to respond sooner. She was truly a remarkable woman.

Submitted by Silvio di Loreto

I was invited to have dinner with Julia by an ex-president of AIWF years ago. She and I were talking before dinner, and she had just been to see her husband in Santa Barbara at the home where he lived while in failing health. She described how painful it was to see him like that, and she had brought her new book to show him. She said to me, "I showed him the book and told him what it was, and he looked up at me and said, 'I didn't know you were an author!'" It was so very poignant, and I saw how terribly sad it was for her to lose him that way after so many lovely years together; but her spirits at dinner were, as usual, full of liveliness and fun. However, I remember her always with that wistful longing for the lovely man she was losing and eventually lost. I was seated on her right and have treasured that moment.

Submitted by Suzanne Dunaway

Inspired me to start cooking….30 years later that’s all I want to do! Happy birthday, Julia!

Submitted by Vincent Speranza

In the late 70’s, I was working in New England doing cooking demos on television to promote the Southeastern seafood industry. Hank McAvoy, the gentleman who was driving me from one station to another, knew Julia well because he was her contact for fresh New England seafood. Hank wanted me to meet her and I, of course, was thrilled. We dropped by her studio in Cambridge while she was taping a show. Paul was standing to the side with his camera around his neck, obviously enjoying watching his bride of many years at work. When Julia took a break she came right over to meet me and was very interested in the shows I was doing and the recipes I was preparing. She was very down-to-earth and approachable. I have often marveled that she acted like I was the culinary celebrity when nothing could be further from the truth. Julia Child did not even seem to realize how highly revered she was. Her humility was heartwarming. Julia Child was a class act!

Submitted by Vicky Murphy

It was sometime in 2000 or 2001 that I first met Julia Child. As a great admirer of hers since childhood, when my mother and I watched her on PBS together (and thought how well she’d fit in with us and my aunts), you’d think I’d have recorded the exact date of that first, and several subsequent, meetings. Meeting her felt as if I were reuniting with a beloved aunt who had been part of my childhood.

These occasions were gatherings of foodies enjoying a cooking demonstration followed by dinner. In each case, I marveled that the person cooking could do so with such an august personage in the audience. I was sitting next to her at one demonstration when the chef said something about cutting back on the butter and Julia muttered under her breath "Don't be afraid of the butter," raising a chuckle from those within hearing.

I’ve always been pretty hard to impress — I waste no more than a glance (and not a single thought) on movie stars and other celebrities — but I was more than a little dazzled by Julia! She was quite easy to talk to as she seemed completely unaware of her special standing. Each time I saw her, even when she was relying on a walker, I was struck by her calm energy, positive attitude, and zest for life.

Submitted by Jean Picard

Boston was the host city for the 1989 Annual Conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). When we were planning the kick-off media event (held in September 1988), Julia said she would be happy to host it at her home if the Boston IACP members would agree to cater the party. I had recently developed this recipe for scallop mousse, and decided it would be my contribution.

The party took place on a warm September evening. Everyone gathered at the Childs’ home, a white clapboard house not far from the Harvard campus in Cambridge, MA. Paul greeted the arriving guests looking dapper in a tweed sports jacket with paisley ascot. A server stood nearby offering flutes of champagne. We “caterers” took our dishes to the (now famous) kitchen to be plated and arranged by other committee members on tables in both the dining room and another room on the main floor. I remember standing off to the side in the dining room with some colleagues as Julia ushered in George Berkowitz, the owner of Legal Seafood (Boston’s famous seafood chain). George exclaimed, “Wow, what a spread! I don’t know where to start.” Imagine how pleased I was to hear Julia respond, “I think you should have some of this delicious scallop mousse,” as she guided him over to its place on the table. I think about Julia’s compliment every time I make and serve this appetizer. It’s one of my favorite Julia stories. And here, for your enjoyment, is the recipe:

Scallop Mousse with Fresh Basil
Makes 4 to 6 plated first course servings -- about 20 "baby" scallops for passed hors d'oeuvre (or you can fill one copper scallop shell for a stationary selection on a cocktail buffet)

1 1/4 pounds scallops (may be sea, bay or cape scallops), poached and cooled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 large shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 envelope unflavored gelatin, dissolved in 1/4 cup dry French Vermouth (I use Dolin)
3/4 cup homemade mayonnaise made with fresh lime juice
2/3 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
A few grinds of fresh white pepper
6 drops hot pepper sauce

1. In the food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the basil fine. Remove and set aside.

2. With the motor running, drop the chives and shallot through the feed tube, and process until very finely chopped. Add mayonnaise and pulse three times to mix. Now add all the ingredients except the basil and the gelatin mixture, and pulse five or six times to incorporate well, then process until smooth.

3. Add basil and gelatin mixture, and pulse several times, to blend thoroughly.

4. Pour or spoon mixture into the prepared mold(s) you have chosen. [I use standard Madeleine pans for plated first course, miniature Madeleine pans for the really tiny scallops that fit on crackers.]

5. Chill until firm, about 1 1/2 hours minimum for the large mold. (The "babies" take almost no time to set up.)

6. Unmold onto appropriate serving dish, and garnish with fresh basil leaves or sprigs. (I like to serve the "babies" on a Bremner wafer, on top of a small basil leaf.)

Wine Tip: The wine that consistently complements this mousse to perfection is Vision Cellars’ California White – a juicy blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. If you’d like a sparkler, I’d choose Iron Horse’s Wedding Cuvée, my favorite domestic bubbly.

Submitted by June Jacobs, CCP

Sometime in the late 90s, I was the Orange County chapter chair and attended an AIWF national board event in San Francisco. There was a big event where fifty or more local restaurants were offering exquisite tastes in small booths. Julia was there. Instead of spending her time with AIWF national board members, chapter chairs, or celebrity chefs, Julia moved from booth to booth, behind the tables, chatting with the helpers who were preparing the food. She asked them about their processes, ingredients, and where they learned their skills. She complimented them, encouraged them, and thanked them for their work before moving on. I eavesdropped and enjoyed every minute of it. She was in her element.

Submitted by Ken Sethney

Julia and my mother-in-law went to school together in Pasadena. Mom came to visit us when we were living in Cambridge while my husband attended Harvard Business School. I thought it would be nice to invite Julia for tea (this was in the early 60's, when proper young ladies did such things). I got her telephone number from our butcher and called her. Julia answered with "I am very busy right now. Please call me back in half an hour." I thought this was a very practical way to handle the situation. It didn't make any difference to Julia who was calling, only that she could not talk at that time. I called her back and she did come to over to enjoy tea with my mother-in-law. We met again at an AIWF meeting in Santa Barbara in the late 80's.

Submitted by Cauleen Glass

Submitted by Cindy Dragon

Talking about food was one of Julia’s favorite subjects. She was always involved. But Julia never saw food as an armchair discussion. She insisted on getting right into the middle of food experience and bold flavors. I loved sharing our tropical bounty with her: mangos, papayas, jackfruits, plantains, and calabaza, along with the freshest locally caught seafood.

When Julia came to Miami on one of her many visits, she insisted that I take her out stone crabbing. She wanted to know firsthand all about our delicious stone crabs. Julia was funny, though; she seemed large for the little boat. She had to personally pull the traps, and break the claws from the crab. What? Boil them in fresh seawater - great! She became so extremely excited she could hardly control herself to hurl the just-caught stone crab claws into the caldron to cook them.

We devoured the lush stone crabmeat. I remember Julia saying, “This is what life is about”, while she licked her fingers clean. Our sojourn down to the Keys was complete.

Submitted by Allen Susser

Julia Child rented the house next to ours in Great Neck for one year. This was in the 1970's. Our dog, Pepper, ran along the border of the two properties. Pepper mysteriously was getting sick. We took her to the vet. He discovered that she was eating soup bones. It turns out that Julia was feeding Pepper the leftover soup/stock bones. We had to ask her to stop. So in essence we had to ask Julia to stop feeding Pepper.

Submitted by Sarah

I was researching the ultimate French Onion Soup recipe, looking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and found this old invitation from 1989 to attend an event sponsored by the American Institute of Wine and Food. We were invited to have dinner with Julia. What a fantastic experience, talking and eating with her, watching her grab food with her fingers, and just being Julia. As I stood next her (and my husband Ward, both 6'2"), I was impressed with her kindness and thoughtfulness, and of course her love of food. What a fun memory.”

Submitted by Susan Carter

Julia was always recognized … and everyone was happy to see her. I will never forget the time in Boston that we were all crammed into a car going downtown for dinner at the restaurant of a hot young chef Julia had befriended. We were in a car stopped at a traffic light, next to some men working on “The Big Dig” … one man exiting from a subterranean manhole recognized Julia in the car, and before we knew it the manhole had exploded with all his buddies’ heads popping up to wave to Julia.

Submitted by Paula Lambert

My husband and I were in Bologna, Italy, at a restaurant for dinner, when we saw Julia there having dinner with her husband. My husband insisted I go over to her, since she was my idol and inspiration for cooking. She couldn't have been nicer and autographed a menu for me, which I still have hung in a frame in my kitchen!!!

Submitted by Joan Cooper

For many years my chef husband, Ted, and I ran a wonderful restaurant in Killington, Vermont. For a time Julia would come to celebrate her birthday with her family that lived in nearby Woodstock. In Ted's words: One year at a dinner celebrating her 85th birthday, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Julia. In time I became concerned when I noticed she did not eat everything on her plate. After a few courses I summoned the courage to ask the inevitable, “Julia, are you enjoying your food?" “Wonderful!” she replied, arcing her voice almost an octave in one word. “It’s just that right now I am 6 by 4 and I cannot stand the idea of being 6 by 6!”

Submitted by Linda & Ted Fondulas

As a food writer with The Washington Times, I was privileged to interview Julia Child several times in the 1980s. I renewed our acquaintance in June, 2001 when Julia participated in Cunard’s Chef’s Palate Crossing on the QE2. I was lucky enough to be on board.

During the voyage, Julia teamed up for a cooking demo with QE2 executive chef Karl Winkler. Child’s appearance, we learned, attracted the largest crowd ever to cram into the ship’s Grand Lounge. Child, elegant in a red and black print silk blouse and dark slacks, provided savvy and often amusing commentary as chef Winkler prepared signature dishes: sea scallops sautéed with garlic and herbs, and rack of lamb with an herb/mustard crust. The show concluded with an elaborate custard-and-meringue dessert called floating island. Happily, the delicacies appeared on the Princess Grill menu that evening.

Julia’s infectious, common-sense approach sparkled throughout the presentation. When Winkler was explaining how to check fish gills for freshness, Child calmly interjected: “Just smell it.” When the discussion moved to using butter in lieu of lamb fat, she remarked: “Rancid lamb fat is not a good thing. I had some in Scandinavia.” As Winkler assembled the complicated dessert, Julia dead-panned: “Floating island is very easy to make. You only need three people.”

Later, at a question and answer session, someone asked Julia about her favorite fast food place. “Burger King.” She also professed a weakness for an occasional Big Mac and fries.

My last encounter with Julia was at her 90th birthday party, a cheeseburger and hot fudge sundae bash at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. Tiring after three weeks of constant travel and partying, Julia enjoyed the evening but departed early. But not before she complimented my husband Peter on his pig tie. Thank you, Julia, and bon appetit!

Submitted by Celeste McCall

...In the early 70s, following our introduction of the produce industry's first packaged produce item, Freida's received a simple, handwritten postcard from Julia wanting to know if we had an answer to quelling "flatulence" that occurs after eating Jerusalem artichokes, which we had newly-renamed “sunchokes".

...In the early 80s, my daughter Karen and I received an invitation from my new friend Michael McCarty, owner of the famed “Michaels’s” in Santa Monica, to attend a small private dinner party. After being led upstairs to a small private dining room, we found it was loaded with local celebrity chefs like Hans Röckenwagner, Michael Richard, and Alice Waters...none of whom we knew. We stood back in the corner and suddenly Julia walked up to us, put her arms around us (we had never met before) and said, "You two look lost. Let me introduce you around." She sat me between Joe Columbine and his wife, the owner/founder of Trader Joe’s; and Karen was seated next to Michael McCarty, whom she hadn't met before.

...At the founding of the American Institute of Wine & Food in Santa Barbara, California, Julia and I were amongst the keynote speakers, during a strong anti-beef movement. I addressed the food writers’ questions about the rising availability of fresh herbs and their availability in supermarkets. When it was Julia's turn, she stunned those present with her defense of the continuing importance of beef, especially as a taste enhancement and the need for protein in the diet.

...The last time I saw Julia was the summer before she died. Her attendant brought her in her wheel chair to a retreat of the Trusteeship in Montecito (close to where she was living). She spoke with us in her halting way before we inducted her as a member to the Trusteeship, the Southern California Chapter of the International Women’s Forum.

Submitted by Frieda Rapoport Caplan