The Kitchen Within: Christine Tobin’s Menu for Julia on HBO Max
Photo: Seacia Pavao/HBOMax
Season two of Julia premiered on Nov. 16 with three episodes, followed by one a week until its finale on Dec. 21.
Both Julia Child and Christine Tobin faced the same challenge: preparing a successful loup en croûte.
Tobin is the Boston-based food stylist for the HBO Max series Julia, which airs Thursdays through December 21, 2023. In the first episode of Season Two, Julia discovers loup en croûte while dining at the restaurant of Paul Bocuse in France with friend Simca (played by Isabella Rossellini). Yet the seemingly simple fare—bass wrapped in pastry—was anything but.
“Just testing out the loup en croûte was one of our main objectives upon arriving in France,” says Tobin, who used a rough sketch of Bocuse’s dish to prepare Julia’s version.
Tobin spent seven weeks in France, starting in the south before landing in Paris, just as the storyline unfolds for viewers. But being on location has its own set of challenges, Tobin says, pointing out that securing the proper ingredients was among them. “We’re sourcing the ingredients, we’re sourcing special notes, special things that need to be ordered through butchers and such,” she says. “So we were relying on culinary advisers who were from France.”
Each of Julia’s dishes prepared for the series, Tobin reminds us, follows her recipes to the letter.
“I am primarily working out of both Volumes 1 and 2 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but I do throw in some surprises from her later works,” says Tobin. “Julia Child was always testing recipes. I find this to be a true part in the storytelling that also gives me permission to explore and be creative.”
With each episode taking about ten days to shoot, Tobin remembers the first season as perhaps the most demanding.
“[In the first season] what we had were massive tablescapes, massive food scenes, massive kitchen preparation scenes with not just one person preparing but multiple people and characters preparing,” she says. “So that took the full ten days. You get the script, and you go right into the planning. Everything is planned out. Everything is tested.”
That’s pretty much what Tobin had this round, too, including continued COVID protocol that kept them in masks, even when France hit over 100 degrees during their July 2022 shoot. “We felt protected and safe, but with that said, cooking in hot locations in hot trucks with steam is not always fun.”
There are some personal moments for Tobin, too, who describes a favorite scene in Episode 2—the birthday party of Hunter Fox, the president of WGBH played by Robert Joy.
As the camera sweeps across the table at Hunter’s birthday bash, you will spot American classics: Ambrosia salad, Swiss roll cake, cheese log, pigs in a blanket and even Cheez Whiz on Ritz crackers, to name a few. It’s worth hitting the pause button just to drink it all in!
Photo: Seacia Pavao/HBOMax
“I love doing period-correct American food,” Tobin says. “It’s always sort of cheerful and fun for me because I was born in the ’70s, so I remember those foods. I get to revisit these retro dishes along with our audience.
“But then I also really love doing these elaborate meals that are multi-layered and difficult to prepare,” she says, adding, “Luckily, we have a very well-trained team.”
In looking back on her own career in the culinary world, Tobin distinctly remembers when she made the pivot from restaurant to film set.
“I was standing at the kitchen window at Oleana when something snapped inside of me and I saw food as art,” she says. “I grew up with beautiful food, a lot of peasant food from Sicily, where my mom's family is from. That’s the primary culture in [my] house.
“The adrenaline and the endorphins that go into the work [I do now] are very similar to working in a restaurant. So for me, being an adrenaline junkie, I really enjoy the speed of the work and the speed of the performance that’s needed on film sets,” says Tobin. “This feeds not only the artistic side of me but also the physicality of it. We’re like athletes, not just creatives, all of us who work on the set.”
Tobin describes the process as offering a community-like feel.
“Everyone reads and knows the script and it gives us opportunities to talk about dishes and share recipes,” says Tobin. “So our [own] kitchens expanded onto the sets. Food brings communities together. Food brings people together and I think it sets a really nice tone in a space that sometimes could be stressful, or emotional, or a bit hairy.”
The food Tobin prepared not only fed the stars.
“My kids looked forward to me coming home each evening with the food left over from a scene,” she says. “So they got to experience not just Julia Child’s food, but others, too, because we visit various chefs on the series. It’s always fun to share and expose them to different things. I mean, they’re teenagers, and their palate has grown quite a bit. But I got away with giving them artichokes this season, which is always a triumph for a parent when one of their [kids’] favorite foods is an artichoke!”
Julia is certainly not Tobin’s only time on a film set—although she says it is one she will always cherish. But even after styling food for almost 20 films, it was Frances McDormand, star of “Olive Kitteridge,” who taught her a thing or two. “I learned a lot from her and observing her. I loved how she moved around the kitchen and placed things. She made her space, her home and her character’s home,” says Tobin.
Tobin has yet to see her latest film, The Holdovers, which was filmed at various schools and other locations in Massachusetts and only recently hit theaters. But is there a favorite?
“It’s really hard for me to pick one but I will say I’m very lucky to have found something that I really love to do and it’s a rare profession and a niche, so I just look forward to continuing the work and telling more stories,” she says.
And if there were a single part of Julia Child’s culinary world that we should adopt again in 2024, what would it be?
“Person-to-person contact! Physical presence,” says Tobin.
ADDENDUM:
Local actress Donna Ognibene worked on the set of both seasons of Julia and found herself privy to Christine Tobin’s dishes, as well as sharing her own cookies with the cast and crew.
“Our eyes enjoyed a feast in every scene,” says Ognibene. “Christine would hurry in with the most amazing dishes and fix them just right. She would set aside things for us to take home—picture-perfect desserts. She has a remarkable gift and talent and remains so poised with so much pressure that comes with the food part of the show.”
Ognibene’s role was as stand-in for Bebe Neuwirth, who played Julia Child’s good friend Avis.
“Bebe is a true legend, so to be her stand-in was at first very intimidating. As a stand-in it is important to capture as much as you can so you can assist the crew as they set up lighting, stage dressings, camera angles and more,” Ognibene explains.
There were some intimate moments as well. “Sarah Lancashire [who plays Julia] came over to me in the ‘kitchen’ (my favorite part of the set) and put her hands on my shoulders and said some very complimentary things,” says Ognibene. “She thanked me for my work, and then gave me the warmest Julia hug that I will never forget.
“It was a thrill to talk about everyday life with Bebe—New York City, and what kind of tea she likes. She came up to me on the last day of shooting the second season and thanked me so sweetly for ‘making her job easier.’ She handed me a beautiful gift and a hand-written card. David Hyde Pierce also gave all of us a hand-written card thanking us for ‘standing in and standing up for the cast.’ He also casually introduced me to Isabella Rossellini. He said, ‘Donna—you know Isabella, right?’ to which I took a breath and said, ‘Of course!’ I got to stand in for Isabella for a day as well. I shared my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with the cast and crew and got to hear David raving about my cookies. I could go on and on ... so many moments.”
This story appeared as an Online Exclusive in late November, 2023.
