Few things in the culinary world can be as intimidating as throwing a dinner party for 12.

Throwing a dinner party for 12 when the guest list includes several accomplished chefs and the guest of honor is the acclaimed Julia Child is beyond intimidating and downright unimaginable.

But in 1997 Phyllis Vaccarelli, owner of Let’s Get Cookin’, a kitchen store and culinary school in Westlake Village, hosted that dinner party in her home.

Vacarelli met Child in 1986 at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conferences. They became better acquainted in the 1990s when Vacarelli was the chair of the National Board of the American Institute of Wine and Food, an organization Child founded in 1981.

“We worked on getting people to eat together, talk together,” Vacarelli said.

Later, the two women teamed up to work on a cause dear to both of them.

Vacarelli, who has a master’s degree in social work and whose chosen profession before devoting herself to the culinary arts was social work, felt that it was important for children from the inner city to have an opportunity to learn about food.

Through the Los Angeles Unified School District, she and Child established a program for fourthand fifth-grade students.

With the emphasis on nutrition and education, the children had the opportunity to learn where foods came from and how they got to the table.

“We would take the children to a farmers market and then make salads together,” said Vacarelli.

It was a book signing at Let’s Get Cookin’ that brought Child to Westlake Village and to dinner at the Vacarelli home. When asked about the dinner party for 12Vacarelli said she was not nervous about cooking for Child. “Julia was very complimentaryYou could take her to a hot dog stand and she would be complimentary,” Vacarelli said with a laugh.

The day of the book signing and dinner party, Vacarelli picked up Child in Montecito. The book signing lasted most of the day. Anticipating this, Vacarelli, being a professional herself, relied on recipes that she “knew were really good and could be prepared ahead of time.” She said the osso buco risotto, prepared in a pressure cooker, and a grand marnier soufflé all turned out great.

As the years passed and the friendship continued, Vacarelli had Child to her home for dinner on a second occasion.

In celebration of the movie “Julie and Julia,” which is based on the book by Julie Powell about her project of cooking all 524 recipes from Child’s “Mastering The Art of French Cooking” in one year, Let’s Get Cookin’ is offering a class at 6:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 14.

Child classics such as boeuf bourguignonne and individual chocolate soufflés will be prepared. French wine will be poured and glasses will be raised in a toast—to Julia.