WGBH Studio—the first home of Julia Child’s television program The French Chef —celebrated the Columbia Pictures release Julie & Julia on July 14, with a screening, a panel discussion, and a meal from her alma mater, Le Cordon Bleu, for 200 guests.
“We’re especially excited to host a special sneak preview of Julie & Julia here at WGBH, where Julia’s TV career began,” said WGBH director of special events Vanya Tulenko, who added that planning for the event started about a year ago, when the network learned about the film.
The local premiere also allowed the studio to bring on many area chefs who knew Child personally, as well as her friends. Though not officially a caterer, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston knew that Child had learned to cook at the flagship in Paris and wanted to contribute to the catering for the screening. WGBH paired the school with Max Ultimate Caterers, but the college produced all the desserts, which were crowned with photographs of Child in chocolate frames.
After the screening, Atlantic Monthly food critic Corby Kummer moderated a panel discussion with Child’s editor, Judith Jones, her original producer at WGBH, Russell Morash, and chef Jasper White. Like many of the other guests, all the panelists had personal relationships with Child and knew her well.
“Many of Julia’s most ardent fans are from the Cambridge and Boston area,” said Tulenko, “so the event had real depth and meaning [for them].”
