First Class To Paris

I had a choice: I could get on a plane to Paris for one day, knowing I would have to return to New York for work the next day. The meeting was wrapped in secrecy. No one could tell me what it was for, nor the Client I was to meet.  Agents, Managers, Lawyers, Nothing. I was 18. So, of course, I said YES.

First Class to Paris for a secret adventure and mystery!

I slept on the plane. When I woke, I looked out the window and ate my omelette. I was curious about what was about to happen. Exiting the plane, I was greeted by an escort of gendarmes who took me straight through customs—fastest exit ever.

Outside, I was greeted by a gentleman holding up my name.

I knew Besson made incredible films. But I wasn’t an actress—yet.

Luc Besson is a legend. He directed Taxi and The Fifth Element, among other hit movies.

I remember going up the elevator and entering a high-ceilinged suite in the Eighth Arrondissement—a fairytale. I was supposed to be impressed and I was. Lunch was waiting—whole fish, salad and baguette with Normandy butter.

Luc saw me staring at the whole fish.

“Can I help?” he asked.

I gratefully accepted and he expertly filleted the fish.

I tucked in. I was in awe of my surroundings, acutely aware of how it made the food taste better. This was the first time I let go of dieting, and realized that is wasn’t about how much you eat, but how mindful you are.

I knew that fragrance so well! My grandmother, mother and sister all wore it. Chanel is one of the most iconic brands in the world. I began to realize that this meeting would change my life forever. I learned two things that day: I was going to be the new face of Chanel. Even more importantly, I began a new relationship with food. I’d been on a restrictive and low-fat diet that kept me skin and bones. Now food was delicious and satisfying in a new way. It was scary.