mattersmagazine.com 17 of Julia and Paul frame the room and perch along the mantel of a curvaceous fireplace. In the far corner, a round table circled by open-backed wicker chairs invites guests to linger over glasses of wine and meals boasting flavors of the French countryside. Inhaling deeply, there is an unmistakable fragrance in the air. Butter. Situated in Plascassier, the stucco farmhouse was built in 1965 on property originally owned by Simone “Simca” Beck, one of Julia’s collaborators on “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The Childs came to an agreement with Simca and her husband, Jean Fischbacher, allowing them to lease a small piece of property adjacent to Simca and Jean’s home. The deal was sealed with a handshake, and the three- bedroom, 1500-square-foot house was completed in 1966, providing refuge and creative refueling for the Childs amidst the Provençal landscape they so loved. Just beyond the floor-to- ceiling wooden armoire lies my raison d’être for the trip: Julia’s kitchen. It was in this space that Julia and Simca rolled up their sleeves while developing and collaborating on recipes for the second volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was also where Julia prepared meals with her dear friend James Beard and created the dinners served to preeminent food writer M.F.K. Fisher, cookbook editor Judith Jones and the author of Simple French Food, Richard Olney. The kitchen itself is far from grand, but sensibly laid out and organized in excruciating detail. The rows of clear plastic spice drawers are, as rumored, emblazoned with DYMO tape nametags. Nowhere is the kitchen more functional than in the walls of wraparound yellow pegboard, outlined in black Sharpie markers indicating the proper place for every tool. On a rainy afternoon, I timidly approach Julia’s kitchen with a mission: to bake fruit galettes in celebration of the birthday of one of our housemates. Giddy with the realization that the woman responsible for my introductiontoFrenchcuisineandthe pioneer of food television had once called this kitchen her own is both exhilaratinganddaunting.Whetheror not the rolling pin and mixing bowls are authentic really doesn’t matter. What matters is the history pouring out of the wooden cabinets and runningacrossthetaller-than-average butcher-block countertop. Cutting cubes of cold French butter, using a vintage bench scraper plucked from the pegboard wall, conjures up black- and-white television images from my childhood. Julia Child, with a hairdo as puffy as meringue, attired in a practical collared blouse, dark apron and kitchen towel wrapped around her waist, taught more than culinary techniques. She admonished viewers to learn from but not apologize for mistakes, to embrace a “what-the-hell attitude” to “come on with a bang; never go out with a whimper.” Timeless advice. The kitchen encourages ease of movement, allowing a pivot-and- turn approach between appliances and countertops. Even on a drizzly day, the kitchen emanates warmth. Beyond the kitchen door, a walkway snakes around the property. A broad flagstone terrace outfitted with a café table and chairs echoes meals from years gone by. A lone pomegranate tree fronts the small garden separating the terrace from the lawn and pool. Runaway olives pepper the ground beneath weathered trees. Behind the house, a tree heavy with persimmons looks out over the hillside. Other than neighboring dogs engaged in conversation and the morning song of birds, the air is still. In this bucolic corner of Provence, bon appétit is an understatement. Maplewoodian Ellen Gray is an Able Baker by day and a writer by night. Visit her blog at nomoremrnicepie.com. MAGGIE AXELROD-CALISTER We keep you smiling! 250 Millburn Avenue | Millburn 973-467-0077 Saturdays and Evenings Available On site parking | Convenient location Wendy Wisz, DMD General, Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry Every effort is made to ensure the utmost comfort for each patient. Enjoy a modern profes- sional environment and a caring staff. As a former faculty mem- ber of Fairleigh Dickinson Dental School, Dr. Wisz now devotes all her time to private practice.