If somehow you haven't heard, today would have been Julia Child [2]'s 100th birthday. Much is made of this culinary icon who, though her television show The French Chef [3] and her two volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking [4], is credited with teaching Americans how to decipher French cuisine.

Ask most anyone who cooks and they have a Julia Child story, be it from following her recipes, watching her on PBS, or through reading My Life in France [5] or Julie & Julia [6]. So, it seems only fitting then that today is marked by celebrations across the country (even Google [7] gets in on the act), many of which are detailed on the JC100 Facebook page [8].

My encounter with Child was a little more personal. Several years ago, I had the great fortune of meeting her at the Food & Wine Classic at Aspen [9]. I was in the press room when Child wandered in and I approached her and asked if she happened to remember a woman named Jodie Weed. She looked at me and said, "Why, yes, of course!" Weed had been her roommate at Smith College—she was also my grandmother. We spoke for a few minutes and shook hands before parting ways.

I have my mother's tattered copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking but I'll admit to rarely cracking the cover. My once-a-year ode to Child comes at Thanksgiving when I painstakingly follow the directions for her turkey gravy. It is always rich, full-flavored, and worthy of a special occasion.

Celebrate Locally: Through Friday, August 19, Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar [10] pays tribute to Child with a three-course menu of French classics for $25 at lunch and $40 for dinner. Choose from ratatouille or vichyssoise; coq au vin or beef bourguignon (pictured); and enjoy tarte normande aux pommes (apple-frangipane tart) for dessert.

1512 Curtis St., 303-534-1155

—Image [11] courtesy of Shutterstock.