FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2024

New exhibition explores the life of American culinary pioneer Julia Child

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life opens at Cincinnati Museum Center Feb. 1, 2025

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is ready to show people that cooking as we’ve come to know it is Child’s play. Julia Child: A Recipe for Life, created and toured by Flying Fish, is an intimate immersive exhibition that encourages guests to fall in love all over again with the person who made America fall in love with cooking. The exhibition opens February 1, 2025.

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life explores the key ingredients that led to Julia’s personal evolution and America’s culinary revolution in a fresh and exciting exhibition filled with immersive opportunities. Julia’s insatiable curiosity and tenacious spirit drove her to endlessly try, test, prove and communicate how to make delicious food. Learning to cook empowered Julia, and she in turn empowered others, profoundly transforming American cuisine and food culture.

“Julia reveled in cooking’s joy, not in its perfection,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Because Julia broke a few eggs, we see a generation of amateur chefs trying, sometimes failing, often succeeding, but always enjoying the community of cooking. We’re excited to share Julia’s joy and her recipe for life.”

This exploration of Julia Child’s life takes a deep dive into key, inspiring moments of her life, as well as the family and friends who supported her career, providing a full view of Jane’s life beyond her fame as a television personality and author. You can enjoy interactive spaces where they can embrace your inner Julia, stepping inside the television studio and onto the set of The French Chef, complete with a vintage, operable video camera. You can also see photography by Paul Child, Julia’s husband, as well as her personal papers and favorite kitchen tools.  You can even climb into the bathtub to recreate Julia’s and Paul’s famous Valentine’s Day card in a photo op that wonderfully encapsulates Julia’s joyous spirit.

“The Foundation, which Julia created to carry on her contributions, marvels at how Julia’s example still inspire individuals to learn to cook and pursue their dreams as well as make our food more delicious and sustainable,” said Todd Schulkin, executive director of The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. “As one of the most comprehensive portraits of Julia’s story and legacy, Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is not to be missed.”

Presale tickets and gift packages including Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking go on sale November 12. The exhibition opens February 1, 2025.

Julia Child: A Recipe for Life is a touring exhibition produced and managed by Flying Fish, developed in collaboration with the Napa Valley Museum, under rights granted by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts and The Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University and generously supported by Oceania Cruises.

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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized, award-winning institution housed in a National Historic Landmark. CMC is a vital community resource that sparks curiosity, inspiration, epiphany and dialogue. CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012, one of a select few museums in the nation to receive both honors. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History MuseumMuseum of Natural History & ScienceThe Children’s MuseumRobert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® TheaterCincinnati History Library and Archives and the Geier Collections and Research Center. Housed in historic Union Terminal – a National Historic Landmark restored in 2018 and recognized as the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects – CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the country. For more information, visit feverforfreedom.com.