The Julia Child Challenge: Release Date, Prize, And More - What We Know So Far

When Julie, Amy Adam's character in "Julie & Julia," went about bringing Julia Child's famous French cookbook to life in her tiny NYC kitchen, it was more an attempt to snap out of a passionless drudge than anything else. The challenge? 365 days, 524 recipes, and the mammoth task of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

While "Julie & Julia" was a work of fiction based on the adventures of real-life blogger Julie Powell, the spy-turned-chef is now the inspiration behind yet another novel challenge. According to Variety, Food Network and Discovery Plus have commissioned a reality cooking competition show that celebrates all things Julia Child. "The Julia Child Challenge" promises to be a dream for viewers who have long loved the legendary chef not just for her incredible recipes, but also for her humorous on-screen presence, her hilarious one-liners, and her patience for kitchen mishaps.

Child's legacy has a major influence here, but "The Julia Child Challenge" also has all the familiar trappings of a cooking competition show: a rotating panel of guest judges, personal stories, inventive challenges, and a grand prize. Even better, "The Julia Child Challenge" is slated to premiere sooner than you think. Here's everything you need to know about it.

In true reality cooking competition style, "The Julia Child Challenge" will follow eight home cooks as they progress through several food face-offs over the course of the show. The twist? They're all die-hard Julia Child fans, of course (via Variety). Contestants will take part in heated challenges set in a kitchen designed to look similar to the one fans saw Child cooking in. The contestants will also share stories of their personal connections to the chef who introduced America to French cooking, through both words and their food.

As for the challenges, contestants will be given the same type of ingredients Child worked with, and will be guided by none other than the chef herself, albeit through old videos of her playing on a giant television placed in the kitchen — hey, the joys of technology? According to Food Network President Courtney White, the two streaming giants are working with The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts "to ensure [that] this series reflects Julia's incredible talent and heart." Inspired by Child's humorous approach to cooking, White tells Variety that, "from the kitchen set to Julia's own words, the level of detail in each episode can only be described as mind-blowing."

According to Food & Wine, each episode of "The Julia Child Challenge" will see a head judge joined by a different set of guest judges. Reality cooking competition show veteran Antonia Lofaso, who fans may remember from "Top Chef Chicago," "Top Chef: All Stars," and several Food Network shows, will serve as head judge on the new show. The panel of guest judges includes former Bon Appetit personality Molly Baz, Border Grill co-owner Susan Feniger, "Top Chef All Stars: Los Angeles" winner and season 18 judge Melissa King, and the seasoned cookbook author and chef Jacques Pepin, who enjoyed a long friendship with Child.

As for the contestants, the selection of home cooks and Julia Child aficionados seem to have been picked from all over the country. Variety reports that the eight contestants are Bill Borman and Brit Moore from New York, Christine Fiorentino from New Jersey, Jaine Mackievitz and Dustin Rennells from Massachusetts, Elena Ross-Salonga and Fabrizio Villalpando from California, and Dustin Hogue from Illinois. More details about the contestants are likely to be revealed over the course of the show. Till then, fans will just have to wait to see which contestants they want to root for!

Per Variety, each episode is divided into two sections, reminiscent of Netflix's recent hit "School of Chocolate." The first round will push the eight home cooks to master the basics of Child's cooking techniques and recreate her signatures. This is the part where contestants and viewers get to watch Child offer tips to contestants through videos playing on a big screen on the set.

In the second round, the contestants will be given the chance to get creative. Specifically, they'll be whipping up dishes that uniquely reflect who they are as chefs and people, just like Child did. Served family-style, each dish will be tasted by both judges and fellow contestants. After that, the judges decide who goes home and who moves one step further towards the grand finale. As for what the winner takes home, Food & Wine says that the prize includes a three-month all-inclusive course at the institution where Child's journey began: the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

"The Julia Child Challenge" will hit the screens on March 14 at 9/8 p.m. central on Food Network, Variety reports, which is also when it will be available for streaming on Discovery Plus. Food Network will also air a weekly "Inspired By: The Julia Child Challenge" series on its website featuring head chef Antonia Lofaso, who will present her own version of the week's challenges on the show.

On the premiere episode, Lofaso will be joined by fellow "Top Chef" winner Michael Voltaggio and food writer-editor Francis Lam on the guest judge panel. For the show's very first challenge, contestants will be tested on the French classic that was part of Child's first culinary experience in France, which she called "the most exciting meal of my life" — sole meunière (via The Julia Child Foundation). Regarded as the meal that changed Child's life, the second challenge of the episode will see contestants present a dish that was responsible for changing their own. The creator of the least impressive dish will be eliminated and the rest will move one step further towards a seat at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.