The Secrets to Making Julia Child’s Food Look So Delicious on ‘Julia’

One of the most joyful shows on television is Max’s Julia, a sweet confection of a series that follows one of culture’s most acclaimed chefs, Julia Child (Sarah Lancashire), as she navigates the rise of her The French Chef television program in the 1960s alongside her husband Paul (David Hyde Pierce), her friends, and her colleagues at the WGBH network. Season 2 premiered in November, depicting Julia stepping into the fame her show has brought her and prepping to write her second cookbook. The show explores a changing American landscape, lending a surprising amount of depth—but, most importantly, it never skimps on the food.

That’s where Christine Tobin comes in. She is a trained fine artist who has spent 30 years in the Massachusetts food scene, first working in restaurants and then using her art background to pursue food styling. Tobin transitioned into film and television, where one of her first jobs was on Jason Reitman’s Labor Day. (Remember that sexy Kate Winslet pie? Tobin helped out with that.) Since then, she’s worked on the HBO limited series Olive Kitteridge, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and many other projects.

As a child, Tobin grew up in a home where food was a love language and Child’s voice was always present (including in a hand-painted Julia Child card she made for her father as a child). When she got the call that she’d be doing the food styling for Julia, it felt like a full circle moment. Tobin chatted with The Daily Beast’s Obsessed about starting her career in food styling, working with Greta Gerwig, and how she prepares those famous Julia Child dishes.

Read more at The Daily Beast.