La Vie Creative

Véronique Bawol, the company founder of Cuisine Elégante, was introduced to classic French cooking at an early age in her family’s kitchen. She was especially inspired by her grandmother who worked as the personal cook for Jacques Tréfouël, head of the Pasteur Institute.   She started taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she lived for four years. Given her background, she is well vers...

Diane de Poitiers, the true love of Henri II and the number one enemy of Catherine de Medicis was born on January 9, 1500. Educated by Anne, Duchess of Bourbon, daughter of Louis XI she was close to court life from a very early age. Married at fifteen to Louis de Bréze Seigneur d’Anet, he was almost forty years older than her. They had two children and would have a happy marriage until he was sent...

Having studied and worked in the UK, USA, Malta, Italy, Greece, and Japan; Anna gained extensive exposure to international markets and trends across a variety of multi-media fields before settling in Paris in 2010 where she consults in fashion trend forecasting and is also an Editor at menswear magazine F*****g Young along with finding her 35mm book-zine Pairs Project. When she isn't busy tra...

Jane Avril, the bell of the Moulin Rouge is mainly known for the many images that Toulouse-Lautrec painted of her. However, there is always more than that to her story. Her mother Leotine Beaudon was a prostitute and her father an Italian nobleman that would never recognise her as his own. She was raised by her grandparents in Etamps until they passed away, sending the young Jeanne Beaudon as she...

An American in Paris, my guest today arrived in Paris as a 29-year-old student who had dreamed of moving abroad since childhood. She is the quintessential creative who dabbles in 1000 forms of art from writing on her blog Presque Perfection, to painting, to language, to cooking. I admire her motivation to try many forms of creation. My guest today is Amanda VanOsdol of Presque Perfection Blog http...

Madame de Maintenon, the woman that would start as a secret babysitter and become the unofficial queen of France. Born in 1635, her father was in prison for gambling and counterfeiting and her mother was the daughter of the prison director, straight out of a Lifetime movie. Later she was looked after by her godmother that showed her the fancier side of Paris, taking her to Salons and meeting the i...

Meredith Mullins came for a short visit to Paris 15 years ago … and decided to stay. Pourquoi pas? Dreams can come true. She is devoted to two passions—photography and writing—and all the adventures that these two ways of seeing offered. She is an internationally exhibited photographer, winner of several major photography competitions, and author of the award-winning book In A Paris Moment.   Mere...

Madame de Montespan,  was born as Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart on October 5, 1641 in Lussac-les-Châteaux. Her family, the house of Rochechouart, was one of the oldest noble families and served the king and queen of France.  As a child she was sent to the Convent of Saint Mary in Saintes alongside other noble children and at 17 years old she was working in the court of the Palais du Louvr...

Today I chat with French native and Stand up comedian Cedrik Verdure. He is also the author of Laugh your Way through the Louvre!  Cedrik became famous for his hilarious tours, making history fun again! His Airbnb tours are sold out for months and he tells us how he came up with the concept for funny Louvre tours and about his life in France. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNGqkc__pn9l6fTMIvIxtw...

American artist Mary Cassatt was considered one of “Les Trois Grandes Dames of Impressionism” alongside Berthe Morisot and Marie Bracquemond. Born in Pittsburgh on May 22, 1844, to a very wealthy family. Her father Robert Simpson Cassatt made a fortune in the stock market and with land sales. Her mother Katherine came from a banking family that was well educated and believed her own daughter shoul...

JESSIE KANELOS WEINER IS A FRANCO-AMERICAN ILLUSTRATOR, AUTHOR AND FOOD STYLIST BASED IN PARIS AND NEW YORK. BORN AND RAISED IN CHICAGO, SHE WAS A COSTUME DESIGNER IN A PREVIOUS LIFE WHEN PICKING UP WATERCOLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME, DEVELOPING HER HIGHLY DETAILED, WHIMSICAL AND INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE STYLE. SHE IS THE COAUTHOR OF “PARIS IN STRIDE” (RIZZOLI),  AUTHOR OF “EDIBLE PARADISE: A COLORING BO...

There were many American expats filling the streets of Paris in the 1920’s but there was one that did it with an extra panash and made an immediate impression.  Josephine Baker was a woman ahead of her time and blazed her own path from the streets of St Louis to the stages of Paris. Josephine Baker grew up on the streets of St Louis dancing for spare change before at the age of 15 she head to New...

Richard Nahem is a native New Yorker with a longstanding love for Paris. A trained chef, Richard ran a successful catering and event planning company for over twenty years in New York City, working with celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Whitney Houston, and Joan Rivers. After a teenage trip to Paris made him an instant Francophile, he visited the city frequently until making it his home...

You will know this week's lovely lady from the beautiful painting hanging in the Musée du Louvre by Jacques-Louis David.  Juliette Récamier was a fixture of the Paris Salon scene in the 19th century and lived a very interesting life.  It all started with a rather strange story. Her mother Marie-Julie Matton came from a wealthy family and her father Jean Bernard was the notary and counsellor t...

Julia Willard moved to Paris where she found herself having to have a camera with herself at all times to capture the way the city had mastered beauty. Her bicycle added to the experience, as it increased her reach outside her little quarter .  She found herself with an immense desire to share this beauty through her photographic eye. She has been traveling and photographing all over Europe and es...

The statue of Reine Berthe in the Jardin du Luxembourg is one of my favorites of the twenty illustrious ladies in French history. She may not be as well known as Marie de Medicis but you will know the name of her son and her story is pretty amazing.  Born in 720 to Count Caribert de Laon and Blanche-Fleur de Prum her beauty was known far and wide. When Pepin le Bref, future king of the Franks hear...

Samantha Vérant is a travel addict, a self-professed oenophile, and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, at home French chef. She is the bestselling author of Seven Letters from Paris and How to Make a French Family and today she chats with us about her new book: The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux She lives in southwestern France, where she's married to a sexy French rocket...

There are many designers that have shaped fashion in France. However, before there were Dior and Chanel there was Jeanne Lanvin. Lanvin was a designer that paved the way for all the others to come after her.  Jeanne was born on January 1, 1867 in Paris at 35 Rue Mazarine. She was the oldest of eleven children to parents Bernard Lanvin and Sophie Blanche Deshayes. Jeanne got a job working at a hat...

A native of Canada, Lily Heise fell in love with Paris on a study abroad program and never looked back. This year she'll be celebrating her 20th anniversary in the City of Light, or is it the City of Love? Lily has written two humorous books on looking for romance in Paris, Je T'Aime, Me Neither and its sequel, Je T'Aime... Maybe? Her first book inspired her blog, winning of Best Bl...

Ninon de Lenclos was a woman way ahead of her time. Born in 1620, she decided at a very early age that she was not going to live the life of the rest of the 17th century women. She didn’t want to be a nun or a wife and there were few other choices left. Ninon would go on to become one of the most celebrated courtesans in Paris.  Incredibly smart and witty she seduced men with her mind and drew wom...

Susan Hutchinson is the founder and curator of @thefrancophiles , a community that promotes French culture around the globe. She is also the creative director for her French-inspired lifestyle blog of ten years, Fleurishing . After 18 years in the field of interior design and many years running her own firm, Susan decided to switch gears and focus her creative energy into her lifelong passion for...

The life of Marie Antoinette has been well documented. However the loveliest of  ways and the most enduring image of the fated queen was in the paintings of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun.  Vigee Le Brun began to paint as a child and by the age of 15 she already finished her first major painting. Her portraits got the attention of all of Paris and the court at Versailles. Once the Count de Provence, futu...

Molly Wilkinson is a pastry chef living in Versailles. Originally from Dallas, Texas, in 2013 she changed careers to follow her passion by moving to Paris and studying pastry at Le Cordon Bleu. After working at several bakeries in both France and the US, she now teaches pastry out of her 18th century apartment just 5 minutes walk from the Versailles Chateau. Her method is all about making French p...

Sarah Bernhardt the darling of the stage marched to her own beat. From an early age she heard the calling but at first she thought it was for a religious life. After a full mass funeral for her pet lizard she was told her talents were better used elsewhere.   Performing on just about every stage in Paris, the tough and at times angry Bernhardt constantly were at odds with theater owners, but never...

James Pouliot di Lombardia is an American artist living in Paris, France. His photography work has been featured in international fashion publications such as a Vogue and L’Officiel. His paintings explore nature and consumer culture. His still life studies are described as “academic pop-art” and exploit traditional methods of atelier painting with contemporary and often disposable subject matter....