The California Food Trail Julia Child Devotees Can't Miss

Julia Child helped bring French food to American home cooks in the 1960s with her masterful cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (per The Julia Child Foundation). The book, which she penned with collaborators Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, was a success, and ever since Child's name has been one of the most trusted in the culinary world. Child lived in many different places throughout her life, including Paris, France as well as Cambridge, Massachusetts. She also spent much of her time in Santa Barbara, California.

Having been born and raised in Pasadena, California, Child and her family summered in Santa Barbara county to escape the heat of Los Angeles (per Forbes). Child was no stranger to the area, the nearby Santa Ynez valley wine country, and all the charming coastal towns along the 101 freeway. Later in life, Child and her husband Paul spent their winters in Santa Barbara to escape the cold of Boston and had an apartment in Montecito up until her death in 2004. For fans of Child that may be spending time on the West Coast, Santa Barbara Culinary Excellence (SBCE) has created a Julia Child food trail throughout Santa Barbara county filled with some of Child's favorite places to dine, sip, and see.

According to SBCE, Julia Child had a litany of favorite places to dine from Carpinteria all the way up to the Santa Ynez wine valley. Her favorite haunts are featured on their extensive Julia Child Food Trail itinerary, which fans can download and then use to plan their trip accordingly. With stops in Carpinteria for old-timey candies, scenic shoreline views in Montecito, a farmers and ice cream shop in Santa Barbara, and wine and rustic dinners in Santa Ynez wine country, foodies and fans of Child's will be delighted with the multitude of options that enable you to create a customized tour.

Stops along the trail range from the uber casual with a trip to In-n-Out burger for French fries and hotdogs at the Goleta Costco, all the way to an upscale steak dinner with wine pairing at famed Buellton chop house Hitching Post II, which many may know from the film "Sideways." With wine tastings in Santa Rita Hills, which take travelers out of the coastal areas and up into the mountains, it feels like this food tour has something for everyone from die-hard Julie Child fans looking to pay homage to the chef to the casual food-lover looking to explore all of what Santa Barbara county has to offer.