To Julia
Celebrating Julia Child’s Legacy in Montecito
Written by Jessica Ritz
“I don’t think about whether people will remember me or not. I’ve been an okay person. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve taught people a thing or two. That’s what’s important. Sooner or later the public will forget you, the memory of you will fade. What’s important is the individuals you’ve influenced along the way.”
When Julia Child shared this reflection in a 2001 Esquire magazine interview, her astonishing humility proved to be a core reason she remains so beloved. Her enduring impact was palpable this month when the JULIA CHILD FOUNDATION FOR GASTRONOMY AND CULINARY ARTS toasted to her legacy with gatherings in and around the Montecito environs—where Julia vacationed while growing up in Pasadena and eventually spent the final years of her life.
Festivities kicked off at one of the more than 80 SANTA BARBARA CULINARY EXPERIENCE events with a stunning dinner at Hill House, designed by Robin Donaldson of Donaldson + Partners, in celebration of Bobby Stuckey, last year’s Julia Child Award recipient. Within the striking interior topped with a living garden roof—where parabolic arches and other boldly geometric apertures frame mountain and ocean views, creating a hybrid gallery/living space—guests enjoyed a multicourse meal. Il Gusto della Riviera served as a nod to Stuckey, whose coining of the term “hospitalian” emerged from his experiences since opening Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder in 2004, and later at other lauded Colorado restaurants.
Surrounded by contemporary works of art in the home of artists and entrepreneurs Bruce Heavin and Lynda Weinman, it’s hard to imagine a more dynamic setting for the dinner, which featured an all-star lineup of Golden State–based chefs. Daniel Kim of Monte’s; Evan Funke of Funke, Mother Wolf, and Felix; Diego Moya of Little Mountain; Massimo Falsini of Caruso’s; Meave McAuliffe of Rory’s Place in Ojai; and Ben Spungin of Alto Group in Monterey presented courses that showcased technique and California’s best ingredients in the most dazzling of preparations, like Kim’s Korean miso-infused bagna cauda served with crudités grown down the road in Carpinteria at Rincon Hill Farm and McAuliffe’s wood-fired rib eye with Cortez bottarga butter. Carlin Karr, wine and beverage director of Frasca Hospitality Group, curated wine pairings for each course.
“Julia would have loved to have been here tonight. She would have been trying all the different foods and back with the chefs,” said Eric W. Spivey, chair of the Julia Child Foundation. “But she also would have loved that Bobby Stuckey was here.” Stuckey is ever the consummate hospitality professional, combining expertise, warmth, and comic timing in near equal measure. “One great thing about being a sommelier for three decades is you’ve met some really interesting people, and those moments are special,” he said the next day at Godmothers Books, when speaking with Spivey. The Master Sommelier and James Beard Award winner pointed to “a couple of timestamp moments in my career” that included Julia, from his days at the Little Nell in Aspen and the French Laundry.
The Godmothers presentation—which was followed by a lively conversation with Stuckey and fellow restaurateur and sommelier Caroline Styne of A.O.C. in Los Angeles and moderated by Summerland-based fashion designer Heidi Merrick—also revealed the 12th annual Julia Child Award recipient. Chef Sam Kass, senior policy advisor for nutrition and executive director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, and partner at Acre Venture Partners, operates “at the intersection of food and health,” said Todd Schulkin, executive director of the Julia Child Foundation and host of the podcast Inside Julia’s Kitchen. “One of the things the jury said in making the decision for him was this idea that food can be a powerful force for good.” Kass has allocated the award’s $50,000 grant to three organizations: Urban Growers Collective, American Farmland Trust, and God’s Love We Deliver.
The original honoree would indeed delight in the convivial atmosphere and generous spirit that infused these food- and wine-centric occasions. After all, Stuckey described Julia as “a woman who was so great for all of us, and helped create the American industry of food and wine. The hospitality restaurant industry is so beautiful for so many things, and it was people like Julia that gave us a platform here in the United States.”
