The late Julia Child was a big fan of In-N-Out Burger. Jamie West, executive chef at the Montecito Club in Santa Barbara California, said he stopped at the fast-food chain more than once during a road trip with the grande dame of cooking.

“On the way up the coast, we ate In-N-Out burgers in the car,” West told the Ventura County Star newspaper in 2009. “On the way back, we went inside to order at the In-N-Out Burger in Santa Maria. A young woman behind the counter kept looking at us. Then she whispered to me: ‘Is that Julia Child?’ It was great how people of all ages knew who she was.”

Visit the farmers market with chef Greg Murphy during the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience in mid-March. (Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)

Learn more about Child’s enthusiasm for the love of food during the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience, a weekend of wine tastings, garden tours, cooking classes and gourmet dinners. This year’s experience will be held March 13 to 15 and will feature individual events, such as an Indian feast by Alejandro Medina and Rajat Parr at Bibi Ji ($200 per person); a market tour and gourmet dinner with chef Greg Murphy of Bouchon in Santa Barbara ($195); and a Greek mezze cooking class with chef Robin Goldstein ($115).


Tickets sell out quickly. The Platinum Pass, which includes weekend events and seating at signature events, costs $995 and is on sale now. Tickets for individual events, starting at $35 for classes, will go on sale Jan. 21.

For fans of Child, there will be a downloadable map of her favorite local restaurants, which includes the In-N-Out and the Costco food court (“she always ordered a Costco hot dog,” according to a press release), both in Goleta. Child was born in Pasadena but moved to Montecito near Santa Barbara in 2001. She died three years later at age 91.

The event that celebrates her legacy as well as talented contemporary chefs is sponsored by the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, and Visit Santa Barbara.

Info: Santa Barbara Culinary Experience