Cooking, for me, runs in the family. When I was a little girl, I discovered the culinary world with my grandfather who took me to the famous restaurant in the Eiffel Tower – of which he was the first owner - every Sunday. My parents followed in his footsteps. To be honest, I spent more time in the kitchen than studying, although I worked hard in order to pass my baccalaureate successfully.

I was then lucky enough to work with some leading chefs (Daguin, Vigato, Faugeron….), and to discover with them what I considered to be my vocation. I subsequently launched evening meals at home. I would draw up the menu with the lady of the house, buy the ingredients and then make the chosen recipes at home. After that I simply had to transport everything to my customer’s house an hour beforehand in order to finish the sauces and make sure the dishes were perfectly presented. This was a very enriching experience, which enabled me to meet personalities such as Jean Marais, or even the Mauboussin family, who were famous jewelers at the place Vendôme in Paris. Some proud ladies of the house would tell their guests that they had cooked the meals themselves – this made me happy, as for me the main thing was for them to spend a pleasant evening.

Thanks to the experienced I gained, I attempted to take the CAP (Professional Aptitude Certificate) in cooking. Unfortunately, I did not pass as I persistently tried to change the recipes of great classics – a beef bourguignon became a beef Sophie. It was definitely very good, but this sense of innovation was not to the taste of the board of examiners.

It was also during this period that I met my future husband; I decided to put an end to this business when my daughter Ambre was born - a pretty little girl who is now six years old. But I soon began to feel restless – I missed the contact with people too much, as well as a certain financial independence. I thus decided to find an activity which would enable me to be close to my children.

The cake idea

In order to stay in the trade which I love, a friend suggested that I make homemade tarts which I could sell at markets. Although this was a good idea, at the rate of two tarts per 45-minute batch, the project turned out to be unprofitable.

I thus had to find a product which was adapted to my oven, and this is where the idea for cakes originated – an idea which would turn out to be judicious. I quickly developed a hundred or so recipes for sweet and savory cakes – which I then tested – before moving on to the production stage, first in my kitchen and subsequently in a workshop set up in the basement of my house. I reserved a stand at the markets of Ville d’Avray and then Rueil-Malmaison. Things were difficult in the beginning, because not many customers dared to try anything other than the well-known ham and olive cake. However, perseverance and word-of-mouth bore fruit and “Sophie’s cakes” were soon being sold on sixty markets and in prestigious shops such as Fauchon and Lafayette Gourmet.

I wanted people to put my cakes on the table, exclaiming: “I made them!” Moreover, it frequently occurred that some of them would come to the market to place an order, bringing their own cake tins with them!

And that’s when, one cool morning on the Rueil-Malmaison market, a providential phone call gave my project another dimension. The director of Minerva publications had tasted my orange cake, and thought that the subject was worthy of a book. Six months later, the book “Les cakes de Sophie” was published and became immediatly a resounding success. As of today one million copies have been sold just in France. The book has been translated in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and English and is being sold throughout Europe. Following this success, I decided to explore other cooking topics which resulted in the publication of 8 additional books (les Tartes et salades de Sophie, les Barbecues de Sophie, les Buffets de Sophie, les Madeleines de Sophie, les Crepes de Sophie, les Desserts de Sophie, les Confitures et compotes de Sophie).

In all my books, I insist that my telephone number is always indicated. Every time I receive a call, I know a little more about my customers’ wishes and this gives me more ideas for the future. I also find out whether the book is selling well, because I use ingredients which can be found everywhere and I only propose recipes which I am sure will be a success. All my recipes are tested not only by myself but also by the people around me. Moreover, not all of them are cordon bleu chefs.

I always simplify the recipes and make them accessible to anyone. I also like to innovate and add a personal touch that make them different. Fifty years ago, people spent almost 4 hours making the daily meals; today this has been reduced to 45 minutes. With both children and work, we dedicate more time to leisure. But we have to eat! My aim is not to make “complicated failures” but to prepare simple and good meals! I always think about ways to make meals as quickly and as good as possible.

I also give readers the option of selecting their own products. Some journalists would like me to recommend the quality of free range products only; although I do not necessarily deny their quality, not everybody can afford to buy a free range chicken or line fish every day. One must therefore find a compromise between the free-range chicken and battery chicken, and this is my credo! I test all the products, whether from the market or the hypermarket, and I also test the kitchen utensils which will help you to save time....