Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Alliance Française Honors Pasadena’s Own Julia Child with a Hands-On “Tribute” Cooking Class

Julia Child [File photo]

The 102-year-old French language and cultural nonprofit marks 65 years since “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” with a Thursday evening fundraiser at Sauté Culinary Academy.

Julia Child was born in Pasadena. Sixty-five years ago this fall, she published “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and changed the way Americans approached their own kitchens. On Thursday, May 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Alliance Française de Pasadena will honor her with a “Tribute to Julia Child” cooking class and fundraiser at the Sauté
Culinary Academy.

The hands-on evening blends a working cooking lesson with a celebration of Child’s legacy: the Pasadena native who taught her countrymen and -women how to roast a chicken without fear, then earned the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian honor, for her work in introducing French cuisine and culture to America. The event doubles
as a fundraiser for the Alliance Française, the local nonprofit that has been promoting French language and Francophone cultures in Pasadena since 1924, making it one of the oldest cultural institutions in the region.

The host venue, Sauté Culinary Academy, is a recreational cooking school at 150 E. Colorado Blvd. in Monrovia. Most Sauté classes run roughly three hours and are entirely hands-on, with students preparing an appetizer, main and dessert. Tribute attendees can expect the same format, scaled to the Julia Child theme.

The Alliance Française is part of the worldwide Alliance Française network, the largest of its kind for French language and culture. Locally, it offers small-group classes for children, teens and adults, the only DELF-DALF certification testing in Southern California, and a year-round calendar of cultural events. Tribute proceeds support all of those programs.

“Tribute to Julia Child” cooking class and fundraiser will run on Thursday, May 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sauté Culinary Academy, 150 E. Colorado Blvd., Monrovia. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (833) 386-3911 or visit afdepasadena.org.