Restaurants Celebrating Julia Child's 100th Birthday
August 15 marks what would be Julia Child's 100th birthday. To celebrate the late great culinary icon's remarkable career and inspiring words of wisdom, restaurants across the country are participating in a special Julia Child Restaurant Week. Restaurants of all different cuisines are brushing up on their French cooking techniques and recreating many of Child's most famous dishes, including her coq au vin, beef bourguignon, and floating islands.
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Bob Spitz, publisher of a new biography about Child, entitled "Dearie," thought up the idea to ask some of the nation's top restaurants to participate in the Julia Child Restaurant Week. The commemoration began on August 7 and ends on August 15, Child's birthday, and includes restaurants from New York City to Chicago to Child's hometown of Pasadena, Calif.
Each restaurant has its own spin on a Julia Child-inspired menu; some restaurants offer a three-course, four-course, and eight-course meals and some offer dishes à la carte. Many establishments are going beyond a special menu and have created weeklong or even month long events surrounding Child's birthday.
Randolph's Bar and Lounge in New York City is holding a Julia Child sweepstakes, The Federal in Miami is donating money to Julia Child's foundation, and owner and chefs of Café Patachou and Petit Chou in Indianapolis held a cooking demonstration in honor of the great chef.
The Daily Meal rounded up some of the best Julia Child-inspired menus and events so readers across the nation can get a taste of how this French cooking mastermind touched the lives — and kitchens — of so many.