My father was a charcutier; my grandfather and great-grandfather too. But when I left school in France at 14 my destination was the priesthood. Then I had an unfortunate encounter with a smelly old priest. So I gave up my training and I went off church for many years, but never off God. God had nothing to do with that priest. To blame God would be like blaming food rather than a bad chef or waiter.
Since 15, I've always seen food as my life I've never questioned the fact, never wanted to change profession, even on the hardest days. I started in pastry as an apprentice because I had a godfather who worked as a chef for Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, and advised me "Before you learn to cook, learn pastry". But I did not enjoy so much pastry and one Christmas, when I again took him a box of chocolates, my godfather said there was a job in England with [Viscountess] Nancy Astor. On the work visa it said "scullery boy". The first thing I had to learn, my very first task because I arrived at Cliveden [the Astor family mansion] in the bloody shooting season was to pluck pigeons, woodcocks and pheasants without upsetting their skin. By the hundreds. You can learn fast.
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