Julia Child Day Memories Shine Brightly at Hubbard House

Today is Julia Child Day at Smith, when everyone is excited about French cuisine. But perhaps no house is as eager to celebrate the famous alumna and chef as Hubbard House.

Located on Green Street, enviously close to academic buildings, Hubbard is where Child ’34 lived while studying at Smith.

Current house residents say her spirit lives on—especially in areas where cooking occurs.

“Her ghost haunts the third-floor microwave,” said Hubbard resident Zoë Brian ’18J, “It burns anything she disapproves of.”

Hubbard House, where Julia Child ’34 lived while she was at Smith, is still haunted by her (friendly) ghost, residents say.

Julia Child Day was launched in 2004 at Smith to honor the accomplishments of the late cookbook author and host of the long-running PBS television series “The French Chef.”

Child—whose book Mastering the Art of French Cooking revolutionized the way many people think about food—was awarded the French Legion of Honor, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and honorary doctorates from Smith, Harvard University, Brown and Johnson & Wales University.

At Smith, Julia Child Day is a time when students and dining staff prepare and enjoy delicious food inspired by her recipes. I sent out word via Facebook asking current and former Hubbard residents to share their thoughts on the celebration.

Noa Kaufhold ’18, a Hubbard resident who worked a dining hall shift during last year’s Julia Child Day celebration, said it seemed the whole campus came to Hubbard for special menu offerings.

“There were so many dishes to wash, but everyone was super excited and that made it really fun,” Kaufhold said.

Brian shared a tale she heard about an infamous Smithie “who came in and tried to take an entire quiche” on a Julia Child Day past.

“She just picked up the whole thing and put it into a to-go container,” Brian said.

Surely, Child’s ghost would be happy with the menu for this year’s celebration.

The day will start with servings of chocolate croissants for breakfast in select dining halls. At lunch, the Campus Center Café will join in with meals based on Child’s recipes.

Today’s café specials include coq au vin, French onion soup and local roasted root vegetable salad with fresh herbs and local chevre cheese. The café will also host a crepes bar from 7 to 9 p.m., complete with other “Julia in the Evening” specials.

For students, the highlights of Julia Child Day are house dinners. Entrees this year include brie en croute, pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sage sauce, beef bourguignon and poached local fish with citrus beurre blanc.

No dinner is complete without a good helping of dessert. This year, all campus dining halls will be serving local Maple Valley ice cream for Julia Child Day.

Gavi Levi Haskell ’15, another former Hubbardite, fondly recalls her favorite Julia Child Day dessert.

In 2011, Dining Services “had this amazing spiced pumpkin pie that they never did again,” said Haskell, who is pursuing graduate studies in art history. “Tragic.”

Then, after a pause, she added another favorite, “peppermint ice cream pie!”

Brie is another item often cited in house lore about Julia Child Day.

Former Hubbard resident Mackenzie Ferguson ’14 remembers when baked brie was served only at Hubbard on Julia Child Day, producing crowds at what is one of the smallest dining halls on campus.

“People started trying to get in around 4:30 p.m.,” said Ferguson, who majored in engineering at Smith and now works as an evidence triage specialist for the U.S . Department of Justice. “We had non-Hubbard people eating in the hallways, stairwells and bathrooms upstairs.”

The food promises to be delicious again this year.

But remember, if you’re thinking of making off with an entire brie en croute from Hubbard, Julia Child’s ghost will be watching.