Oil on cardboard – 9,5 x 7 inch – Unique work

It’s Sunday June 28, 2015. I’m with my daughter and I’m spending the night at the Plaza Athénée avenue Montaigne!

Such an opportunity deserves a little explanation. It all started when my daughter wanted to live in Japan. And to do so, after her bachelor’s degree, I suggested that she follows a path that would open doors for her without taking too many risks. This path is the hotel and catering industry. She found her own school and company to complete her learning. It was a weekend and suddenly I told her to go check her messages and emails. Bingo! The Chef of Relais Plaza, Philippe Marc, offered her a meeting.

In the meantime, my home was broken into, they took everything… The day of my daughter’s interview I was at the police station to make a statement and I had her online all angry because the Chef had a little delay. At lunch time in the restaurant kitchens it’s called all hands on deck. The interview went well. She joined this beautiful establishment.

I’m not going to lie to you, she went through hell. And even today, when we talk about it together, she still suffers. But she held on, congrats! She finished her year and was even offered a full-time job. She refused because she completely changed her path. She is now a bookseller with a master’s degree in literature.

However, and thanks to her, we experienced a unique moment. Because when you work at the Plaza Athénée, you are entitled to dinner in your room and a night at the hotel with the person of your choice. Right away, I told my daughter that I was her best friend!

So here we are in this dream room, in this fantastic place, painfully choosing dishes from the menu without exceeding the allocated budget. Not an easy job! Then there was a knock at the door: champagne, small plate of delicacies… And that was just the beginning. With colleagues who appreciate you, anything is possible. We threw out the menu, and chose what made us happy. It was also at this time that I wrote my book Les chroniques Sainte Cécile, a glass of champagne at my side, my daughter in her bath at the Plaza Athénée, avenue Montaigne!