Longtime vacation home of chef Julia Child is for sale in France

The former vacation home of cooking giant Julia Child for sale near Grasse, France, came on the market at an undisclosed price that has now been set at roughly $860,000. In the culinary world, however, the place is priceless.

Called La Pitchoune, which means “the little one,” the charming hillside home was often referred to as La Peetch by Child and her husband, Paul.

Set in the Provençal village of Plascassier, the stucco cottage was built in 1963 on land belonging to her close friend Simone “Simca” Beck and her husband, Jean Fischbacher. The Childs used the property until the 1990s.

Her kitchen still exists. Designed by Julia’s husband, it was modeled after the kitchen in their Cambridge, Mass., home.

The Provençal kitchen was built with tall counters to accommodate her 6-foot-2 height. Pots, pans and pieces of cooking equipment hang on peg-board covered walls. Painted outlines of the tools make it easy to see where they belong.

Some 1,615 square feet of living space includes a living/dining room with a wood-burning fireplace and three en suite bedrooms. A separate studio includes another living room, a bedroom, kitchenette and bathroom.

The landscaped grounds of about a half-acre contain a carport, a terrace and a swimming pool area.

La Pitchoune became a culinary school in 1993 run by American Kathie Alex, who is the present owner. The native Californian has preserved the spirit of the house and even adopted a small cat that had shown up when Julia Child lived there.

Child, who died in 2004 at 91, became a world-renowned American chef, author and television personality by introducing French cuisine to the U.S. public through her 1961 cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Through the 1980s, she starred on such television shows as “The French Chef,” “Julia Child & Company,” “Julia Child & More Company” and “Dinner at Julia’s.”

Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty is the listing agent.

Twitter: @LATHotProperty