Bonjour,
c’est lele.

I grew up in Los Angeles, where a great meal could be anything from Mom’s cooking to a street taco in a parking lot (IYKYK). I thought I had the whole food thing figured out. Then in January 2017, I stepped off a plane in Paris for a semester abroad and realized the French don’t just eat well - they build their entire day around it. My whole world split into “before France” and “after France.”

I went to Skidmore College in upstate New York, where I double majored in Health & Exercise Science and French. Yes, both. No, I can’t explain it either (unless you know me, and then it makes total sense). I spent most of college quietly plotting how to get back to France after my semester abroad. It worked!

After graduating in 2018, I landed in the Alps near Nice teaching English to high schoolers. Sounds romantic, non? The reality was one brasserie, a ski lift, and a social life that revolved entirely around both for two days a week. But the mountains (and la mer) were incredible, the raclette was endless, and I was once again hooked.

In September of 2019, I took a plane (and a leap of faith!) across the Atlantic to Toulouse for a job in Communications and Marketing - but let’s be real, I was also here for the terrasses, the Garonne at golden hour, and the fact that people here are very serious about apéro.

Seven years later? Still here in la vie rose. Still discovering new pépites around every corner and still showing up to the marché on a sunny Sunday and leaving with way more produce than one person needs. These days you’ll find me cycling through the Pyrenees, standing in front of a cheese counter pretending to choose between two tommes when really I’m panicking about all six, or bopping around adding new restaurants to my never-ending list of things to try.

This is where I keep all of it - the plates that made me go miam, the trips that turned into stories, the recipes I actually make at home, and the reality of building a life where you dream in franglais, accidentally say “du coup” in English, and need at least three pieces of paper you didn’t know existed every time you deal with the préfecture.

Bienvenue - grab a glass, I’m glad you’re here!

xx lele