In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child

by Pamela Heyne, Jim Scherer

Most architects I know don t know anything about cooking, and their designs are not practical for cooks! Julia Child wrote to architect Pamela Heyne. Indeed, our contemporary kitchens are showplaces with islands, hidden appliances, and cold stone surfaces. They resemble laboratories more than the heart of the home, and they are neither cook friendly nor family friendly. American culinary icon Julia Child embraced the significance of the family meal and was devoted to sharing delicious food with friends and family at the comfortable dining table in her kitchen, a place where conversation was as important as cuisine. Pamela Heyne and Julia s long-time food photographer Jim Scherer collaborate to share Julia s kitchen design and lifestyle concepts in this book, which examines the kitchens in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, home; at la Pitchoune, the Childs French vacation retreat; and in her television studio.
The authors reveal which materials, layouts, and equipment Julia preferred and why, providing practical advice interspersed with Julia s inimitable, wry humor. They bring Julia s wisdom into the contemporary kitchen, exploring current trends, including modern green sensibilities, and varied styles of kitchens, featuring architectural designs by Heyne, Jacques Pepin s kitchen, a renovation Julia Child consulted on for PBS s This Old House, several celebrity home kitchens, and more. The authors have the full cooperation and assistance of The Julia Child Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, where Julia Child s papers are housed."

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Architecture, Cooking

176 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2016

About the author

Grew up an Army brat. Graduated from Smith College and Yale School of Architecture. Have practiced architecture primarily in D.C. and Maryland. Enjoy entertaining and cooking; big advocate of the family meal.

Reviews

[Chandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A two-part exploration of kitchen design inspired by an early 1990s interview with Julia Child. Part One offers an architect's view on Child's storied kitchen, which of course is now a permanent Smithsonian exhibit, as well as her smaller French residence. It's providence that Heyne waited until 2017 to write it, because she writes from the critical lens of modern obesity, family mealtime, and the currently ubiquitous open floor plan with island. Part two continues the exploration, but with walk-throughs of the kitchens of Child's friends, and some of Heyne's own clients. It's fascinating to learn how eating side-by-side at an island deteriorates comfort and conversation, how open kitchens lead to snacking, and stress upon the housekeeper. Various countertop and floor materials are analyzed. Jacques Pepin makes an appearance. I inhaled the book in an afternoon.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book and I was excited to read it but then disappointed as there was no insight or detail but mostly bits of information anyone could have gleaned from previous books about Julia Child. Over and over I wanted the question “Why?” to be answered but it never was. Some of the information was off topic like the trend to open kitchens now leads to more snacking. I believe my former neighbor would have eaten a lot less ice cream from the carton if she had an open kitchen and her husband was in the same room. The revelation that Julia liked a more giving floor and slightly higher counters...what a surprise! The premise was interesting but the contents disappoint.

[SharlG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book on Facebook and ordered it from the library. I grew up watching Julia Child on PBS. She was the first person to teach the average person cooking techniques and had a great personality. Then, my sons grew up watching her shows. I was excited to see her kitchen at the Smithsonian. I gave this book 4 stars for the information the author gave about what Julia liked in a kitchen. I would have given 5 stars if there were more pictures of Julia's kitchen. Oh, and by the way, both my sons are excellent chefs,

[Janika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of information about Julia's kitchen and the thinking behind it, slightly disappointed that many of the other kitchens described in the later part had no images or layouts included (or those included didn't show much detail about the layout), and not much detail in the text beyond name-dropping.
But lots of food for thought for my own kitchen plans.

[Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Self-aggrandizing, dull, and minimally useful. I would have flipped the proportions for instructions on how to create a useful batterie de cuisine and the extensive section summarizing the author's own projects. I also have a lot of compassion for the author's fatphobia coming from a ballet background. Let the soft animal of your body love what it loves!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If, like me, you are a Julia Fangirl, you won't be able to resist-but I must say, this book misses the mark by trying to be three different things: a "I-met-Julia" memory piece, a kitchen design book, and a weird tangent about obesity...I did love the pictures of Julia's Cambridge kitchen.

[AngelaC · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I don’t love pegboard or cluttered counters, I do love Julia Child, and I did enjoy this short book about her kitchens and what she (and other chefs) found important for their TV and home kitchens. Fun old photos from her career too.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for the design notes and behind the scenes look at Julia Child, horrible for the rampant fatphobia seemingly out of nowhere by the author. Thankfully it was pretty easy to skip over it, shame it was included.

[E G Melby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved getting the back story on her kitchen, and others

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a more entertaining read than expected while still having lots of useful detail on kitchen design. I learned a few more things about Julia too, though I have read several other biographies.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book via a goodreads giveaway.

This is an interesting book divided in two parts: first, a look at Julia Child's kitchens at her home in Cambridge and her vacation homes, as well as her tv studio kitchens. The second half examines modern kitchens that are sympatico with Julia's kitchen ideals. Her Cambridge kitchen is photographed from many angles so you can see all the appliances, pots and pans, and other tools that are easily accessible hanging from pegboard. Julia believed that the kitchen should be functional and designed to aid work, but also have aesthetic appeal. She favored an eat-in kitchen while many are now designed with an open plan to facilitate entertaining (which the author suggests may be contributing to our snacking culture and weight gain).

While Julia's Cambridge kitchen is very practical for a chef, I don't think it's the best option for families today since it requires a lot of cleaning of all the exposed pots, pans, etc and tends to look cluttered. I prefer the aesthetic of Frank Lloyd Wright's Willey House and Fallingwater kitchens which, though designed in the 1930's, still look modern today. I also appreciated the last chapter, which gave tips on using energy efficient lighting and appliances and sustainable materials to ensure that kitchens are environmentally friendly.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free early-reviewer copy of this book.

I throughly enjoyed most of In Julia's Kitchen. It was very interesting reading about Julia's take on kitchen design and how her kitchens (home and studio) may have influenced our kitchens over the years. The photographs were fantastic and useful to understand how Julia organized and used her kitchen. It makes me want to re-organize mine!

The second half of the book was still interesting, but not necessarily Julia related. The author went off on a few tangents about how modern kitchens may be influencing the weight and eating habits of Americans. She also included kitchens from a few other celebrity chefs who had known Julia and were inspired by her. Those made sense, but again, at the end of that section she turned to touting kitchens she had designed and name-dropping well-to-do home-owners she'd worked for that seemingly had nothing to do with Julia. Again, interesting to an extent, but it at times it felt as if Heyne was simply trying to add filler.

In spite of the faults above, I highly recommend this book for any Julia fan or those interested in kitchen design.

[Penmouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child the author Pamela Heyne takes the reader on a trip down memory lane as the author includes plenty of photos showing Julia's kitchens while including many happy memories shared about the famous TV chef. During the second section of her book, the author explains the role of the modern kitchen in daily life, and gives examples of modern kitchens.

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from Edelweiss.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting.

[Darren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of the book were interesting, but I was expecting more floor plans and concrete suggestions. The pictures were truly beautiful.