Tell us a little bit about yourself! What made you want to launch Cuisine Elégante?

I grew up in the countryside near Fontainebleau which is an hour from Paris.

I moved to Paris when I was 23 years old. I am married to an American. We have two daughters, Laura 25 and Charlotte 22 who now live abroad. My priority was the education of our daughters so I stopped working (I was working as an assistant in a production company in the television and movie industry for 7 years).

In 1999, I started taking cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London, where I lived for four years as an expat.

When I moved back to Paris I started to cater events for the American Church, the American Friends of Musée d’Orsay, and also for diplomats of the American Embassy. I was a member of the American Women’s Group in Paris which is an expat group. I started to give cooking classes for their members.

I created Cuisine Elégante in 2010 and it became quickly a success. I now offer cooking classes, market tours, food tours for the tourists visiting Paris in my Parisian apartment.

My family life and international community provide me with a deep understanding of the culinary experiences sought after by visitors to Paris.

What are you most passionate about?

Cooking and traveling and spending as much time as I can with my family. Enjoying long hikes in the forest of Fontainebleau.

Where do you gather inspiration from?

I was introduced to classic French cooking at an early age in my family’s kitchen. I was especially inspired by my grandmother who worked as the personal cook for Jacques Tréfouël, head of the Pasteur Institute.

My grand-father was an incredible gardener. I was brought up by them until age six. My mam is an amazing cook and my dad was hunting every week-end. On my dad’s side, my grand parents were farmers so we always had the best and the freshest ingredients at home. No take away chez moi :-)

If you could invite any three people to your dream dinner party who would they be?

If she was still alive I would have invited Julia Child. Barack Obama and my husband of course :-)

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be passionate, patient, persistent, perseverant and the most important thing believe into yourself, be advised and surrounded by people you really trust, who will listen, advise you and encourage you to follow your dream. My husband and daughters were my biggest supporters and still are!

What quote or saying do you try to live by?

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." - Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Say Bonjour

Social: @cuisine.elegante