My fascination with Gallic culture began when I was eighteen years old. Freshly graduated from high school, I had the unique opportunity to spend the summer in the South of France—Cannes, specifically, as my father was employed there for the summer. My mother and I joined him there, and on our drive from the airport, chauffeured by a knowledgeable Frenchman named Jean-Marc, I felt like a vintage movie star as our car maneuvered winding roads flanked by colorful hilltop villas on one side and staggeringly beautiful ocean views on the other.
“The strawberry tart incident not only gave me a lesson on the importance of details and aesthetics but also on the pressing uniqueness of everyday
