Way Better than Donating to the Hard Rock Café

By Kimberly Bryden, Associate Director of Marketing for Capital Cooking

Quote from Nora Ephron, director and screenwriter of Columbia Pictures’ latest hit film Julie & Julia, as she gave a speech at the National American History Museum last Wednesday evening, July 29.

Since the renovations at the National American History Museum, commencing in 2002 and reopening in 2008, the new Julia Child’s Kitchen exhibit has been one of the favorite’s and most frequented at the museum. It showcases Julia’s PBS cooking shows, her kitchen, a recent addition of her pots and pans, and now because of Ephron’s film the display will include: Designer Ann Roth’s Julia Child dress for Meryl Streep, an annotated script, director’s plans, and stills from the movie.

Julia Child’s family was also in attendance. Julia’s niece and executor of her estate thanked the American History Museum for celebrating Julia and donated a check to continue preserving Julia’s Kitchen. Director Brent D. Glass commented, “Team Julia” will be very happy.

Ephron closed the donation ceremony by matching the check that the Julia Child Foundation gave to the museum. “I found out about the check price beforehand, it was not a blind check!” Ephron wittily remarked.

After the donation, the reception began – Bon Appetit indeed! Centerpieces of goldfish (a Julia Child favorite) and Butter (a staple in the movie), hors’ d’oeuvre of apricots with goat cheese, crepes Florentine, and lamb with sprigs of rosemary, dining tables filled with beef bourguignon, fondue, quiche, ham and brie sandwiches, and crepes, and a to-die-for dessert platter. Catering was done by Design Catering and they really did a phenomenal job. I especially loved the beef bourguignon, crepes Florentine, and these chocolate morsels that had layers of flavor including hot pepper and cumin!

The night was really something to remember. Nora Ephron said it the best, “When I tell people about the movie I cater it to the audience I’m speaking to…if I’m talking to publishers I said ‘Oh it’s about the power of a book’, if I’m talking to food critics ‘Oh it’s about the power of food’, but really it’s about the power of the American Dream and the possibility of invention.”

Check out the new Kitchen exhibit at the American History Museum between 10am-7:30pm. Julie & Julia opens August 7, Bon Appetit! Check out more photos from the event here.