Julia Child’s French home to become culinary retreat

'La Pitchoune' (the little one), which earned the nicknamed 'La Peetch' is an idyllic house nestled in the countryside near Chateauneuf in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, a mere half an hour’s drive from Cannes.

After Child's gave up her prized summer home in 1992, it became a cookery school. Run by Kathie Alex, an American who had known Child and studied cooking under Child's best friend Simone Beck, the property was initially rented to her for her cooking school named "Cooking with Friends in France". Child once wrote to Alex, ‘I’m counting on you to teach Americans about butter and cream!’ ”

Alex bought La Pitchoune in the late ’90s. Now 75 years old, she decided to close the cooking school in 2015 and the property was put up for sale in November 2015.

Now in 2016 it looks as though La Peetch is set to continue it's culinary heritage...and it's close links with America. Purchased by an American couple Makenna and Yvonne Johnston, and friend Wendy Timmons, the house is set to embark on a new chapter, this time as a guest house that opens in June, and a ‘culinary retreat,’ which will serve up cooking lessons.

Adding to it's charm this magical property still includes the original kitchen Child personally designed, which has extra-high counters for the 6ft 2 master of French cooking. Makenna Johnston appreciates that detail because she herself is 6ft 1. “We will have to figure something out for those of us who are less vertically inclined,” she says.

To make things more official cooking-wise, Johnston’s wife, Yvonne Johnston, who was also a passionate home cook, enrolled in and is finishing up a culinary degree at International Culinary Centre in New York City. Makenna is also enrolling in a number of intensive courses at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where Child received her culinary degree.

Cooking classes and yoga at 'La Peetch: Center for Food, Culture and Community' should launch in 2017.