Julia Child in 1995, Bob Delong, BDN.
Continual Influence: The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts logo, 2020, The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts
Following The French Chef, Child's success skyrocketed. Child became the eventual recipient of 49 awards, author of several cookbooks including The French Chef Cookbook, and the star of multiple spinoff cooking programs such as Julia Child & Company. Each cookbook and program served a specific purpose, every one masterfully tailored to daily needs of the home cook.
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The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts (JCFGCA) was founded by Julia Child in 1995 and became active in 2004, following her passing. According to the JCFGCA, "Julia had the foresight to establish The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts to further her far-reaching impact as a teacher and mentor after her death."
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Jacques Pepin Receiving The Julia Child Award, 2015, The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts.
The Julia Child Foundation works tirelessly to ensure Child's legacy lives on through various grants, awards, and the preservation of her accomplishments. The JCFGCA excels in creating positive growth in the culinary industry while functioning in Child's honor.
"Candidates embody shared characteristics with Julia Child, including being a renowned Educator, Communicator, Innovator, Mentor and Bridge-Builder, and demonstrating Integrity, Public-Spiritedness and Independence.
The purpose of the Award is three-fold, to:
Publicly recognize those following closely in Julia’s footsteps.
Shine a spotlight on their accomplishments and actions.
Help increase the impact of the non-profit, food-related causes that matter to the recipients."
~ The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and The Culinary Arts on criteria for the Julia Child Award, 2020
For the past 16 years, the JCFGCA has been encouraging culinary breakthroughs. Over two million dollars has been granted to not only further culinary knowledge, but to support aspiring chefs by supplying scholarships and internships. Food literacy programs are often supported through grants by the JCFGCA as well.
By endorsing these students and funding research in culinary fields, Child succeeded in expanding the world of cuisine even after her passing. Culinary research is key in broadening the possibilities within the kitchen - increasing amounts of knowledge create increasing amounts of opportunities in cuisine.
Child Cooking in her Kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1978, Lynn Gilbert.
"Julia was a committed student and passionate about enhancing her knowledge of the culinary arts, including its history. Culinary Historians of New York (CHNY) was founded in 1985 to support research, share knowledge of how food has affected individuals since earliest times, and raise awareness about the field of culinary history. Members of CHNY include chefs, cooking teachers, historians, anthropologists, food writers, food editors, food stylists, researchers, librarians, caterers, collectors, nutritionists, and food enthusiasts – intellectual curiosity is the common denominator. The Foundation supports The Culinary Historians of New York Scholars’ Grants, which are designed to promote research and scholarship in the field of culinary history." ~ The Julia Child Foundation on why they chose the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) as a grant recipient, 2020, The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts