Julia Child Foundation chair Eric Spivey, Montecito, California

Julia Child, the godmother of American cuisine, spent the final years of her life in Montecito, California, just up Highway 101 from where I live in San Luis Obispo. She was a big fan of Santa Barbara and the Central Coast, and she invested her energy here until her death in 2004. Since then, her longtime friend Eric Spivey has grown the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts into a purposeful organization that consults with media like the recent documentary “Julia” and the HBO Max series, also called “Julia.” The foundation also presents the Julia Child Award in Washington DC, in association with the Smithsonian Museum, and makes grants to those who influence the way America cooks, eats and drinks. I visited Eric in his Montecito home and indulged in a bit of Julia lore. I also learned about ongoing events like Taste of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience.

Websites: juliachildfoundation.org, sbce.events

Instagram: @juliachildfoundation, @sbculinaryexperience