This month through May at the Minnesota History Center, visitors can explore Julia Child’s life through artifacts, cookbooks and interactive stations.
Museum manager Annie Johnson said Julia Child transcends boundaries of age, nationality and cuisine.
“It’s been really fun seeing how school groups have been interested, and the variety of people who are coming in,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the exhibit came to Minnesota because of the Twin Cities’ food scene.
“We thought with the great food scene we have here, that this could be a really fun way to highlight not only Julia Child and her story, but also make some great connections to our own food scene, local chefs and local cookbook authors,” Johnson said.
Exhibit visitor Ronnie George said she came because of her sister-in-law, and added she knew little about Child before visiting.
“Actually, I didn’t know she wanted to be an author, and that she worked for the OSS,” George said.
During World War II, Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services, a U.S. intelligence agency and precursor to the CIA. She revolutionized cooking in America by introducing French cooking techniques on TV to the public.
George said she liked hearing about Child’s adventurous life, while critiquing the exhibit for being confusing at times for its lack of clear linear timeline.
Exhibit visitor Marty Snyder said she came because she already knew about Child, and she admired Child’s independence. She added she had high expectations of the exhibit coming in because of the center’s previous works.
“I knew a lot about her before, I was more interested in her as a female phenomenon,” Snyder said. “I think her independence and her ability to do what she did, coming from a wealthy family with very stereotypical expectations for a woman, was remarkable.”
Johnson said the exhibit features hands-on elements, including utensils from Foley Manufacturing Company, a Minnesota houseware and cooking utensil company.
“This time we brought the Foley Fork, a utensil Julia used on her cooking show,” she said. “The flower sifter, too, was a fun connection to Julia Child in her cooking show from right here in Minnesota.”
Johnson said the History Center also offers programs that complement the exhibit.
“The Textile Center is doing pounded botanical tea towels related to the exhibit,” Johnson said. “We have needle-felted food coming up next month, Julia Child trivia night with Trivia Mafia and her great nephew, Alex Prud’homme, is coming in April to give a talk.”
