From my younger years in the town of Port-Sainte-Marie (Lot & Garonne) in southwestern France, I would sneak out of my father's hair salon into the bakery next door to say hello to the baker and watch him. So, when at age 14, I had to decide whether I would continue to go to school or sign into an apprenticeship program, my choice was quickly made, to my father's disappointment.In 1966, under the supervision of the "Chambre des Metiers", I then enrolled in a 3-year pastry chef apprenticeship in a nearby town.