It is the week of Julia Child’s birthday, the perfect moment to take a walk down memory lane. As those “in the know” are aware, Kat’s and my mother (Peggi) and grandmother (Winnie) kickstarted Onward Travel by offering culinary tours in Europe and the U.S. to their cooking school clientele. It should be no surprise that two ladies who operated a cooking school on their farm and hosted culinary tours in France (and beyond) throughout the nineties and early two thousands would harbor a love for Julia Child!

Julia Child, Peggi & Winnie in Philadelphia, 1993

Just as Peggi and Winnie’s love of food and travel inspired Kat and I, Julia Child inspired them. Julia taught cooking from a place of love and passion. She was not a formal expert or restaurant chef. She built her own business and translated complicated cooking to the masses. And she wrote really amazing recipes that Peggi and Winnie recreated at the Cooking Cottage in Sellersville, PA again and again. Fortunately, our mom and grandmother shared a love of this culinary icon with us.

These days, Julia Child’s home has new ownership and is a culinary-tourism destination. The previous owner, Kathy Alex, also hosted groups and in 1995 the Cooking Cottage headed to Provence to experience Julia’s home.  Here are two classic photos from that trip. Don’t worry, the “cooking with friends in France” aprons are still in regular rotation.

Longtime friend Jane & Peggi wearing Julia’s hats

The group at La Pitchoune.