As a strawberry-blonde, freckle-faced girl, I was fortunate to model for the famous illustrator Norman Rockwell, and later I was scouted by Oleg Cassini to model his fashion designs in Manhattan, New York. My French father, a VP of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, knew the world of modeling. He took me away, traveling and dining in the finest restaurants, as he did not want me to be in that world.

When I had a family of my own, I continued the tradition of fine cuisine, as I had developed discriminating tastes. I rolled up my sleeves and began my cooking journey. The first...