Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. Locations to Serve Chicken “Julia” with an Echézeaux Wine Pairing During JC100: Julia Child Restaurant Week

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When a young Michel Richard first encountered the legendary Julia Child, it was the 1970s and he had just opened his first pastry shop in Los Angeles. Julia and her husband, Paul came in to see the new shop. At the time, Michel’s English was limited for he had just moved to America from France; the only word he remembered and understood was her classic booming, “Bonjour!” Today, he is paying homage to his friend on what would have been her 100th birthday.

During JC100: Julia Child Restaurant Week taking place Aug. 7-15, restaurants around the country will be honoring Julia. At Central Michel Richard in both Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., a special dish will be featured on the menu: Chicken “Julia” with ratatouille, with an Echézeaux wine. The price of the dish: $24 (plus the price of wine).

“I had the honor of serving this dish to Julia while we were both in Los Angeles many years ago. I served it with ratatouille to pay homage to her time in Provence, France and that’s how it will be served during JC100,” says Michel, “She was our greatest ambassador of French food.”

Another memory of Michel’s: a book signing tour in 1993. “It was my first book (”Home Cooking with a French Accent”) and her like 20th. When we arrived at the bookstore, there were thousands of fans waiting and they were all for her. I signed one book and she said, ‘Don’t worry Michel. When you reach my age, you will sign lots of books, too.’ So I helped pass books to her… and afterward, we had brandy,” recalls Michel.

Julia Child Restaurant Week will take place in more than 50 cities and 28 states, including Julia’s hometown of Pasadena, Calif. During this time, restaurants, such as Central Michel Richard, will feature dishes, menus and events inspired by 100 of Julia’s most cherished recipes, which were handpicked from a list of 3,700 by a jury of culinary luminaries chaired by her longtime editor Judith Jones.

For more information on JC100, go to http://www.Facebook.com/JuliaChild or http://Twitter.com/jc100.

For Washington, D.C., go to www.CentralMichelRichard.com or www.Facebook.com/CentralMichelRichard or call (202) 626-0015.

For more information on Central in Las Vegas, go to www.CentralLV.com or www.Facebook.com/CentralLV or call (702) 650-5921.