A few months ago all I was hearing was Lunch in Paris, Lunch in Paris—it seemed everyone who was anyone was reading Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes, by Elizabeth Bard. As usual I was a bit behind on my reading, but I launched into it finally (and appropriately) on my most recent trip to France, several weeks ago. True to the reviews, the book is a fast read, a charming window onto the author’s life in Paris, an interesting discussion of her two cultures (American and French) and an adorable love story with her now husband. Plus, there are some delightful recipes from Bard, who grew up in New Jersey. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it to anyone who loves Paris, food or just a sweet love story. Happily Elizabeth agreed to answer some questions.

Your book, Lunch in Paris, released in February to excellent reviews, is your first. What gave you the inspiration to write it, and did you find it quite different from writing for newspapers, magazines and websites?
Almost as soon as I arrived in France, I knew I wanted to write about the roller coaster of international living and the richness of intercultural marriage. When I sat down to think about how I really discovered France, I found that the most significant moments happened “autour de la table”—around the table. It seemed natural to structure the book around the markets, the meals and the ingredients that were my first keys to France.

I loved the variety of writing for newspapers and magazines. Sustaining a narrative over the course of a book was a steep learning curve—a mountain I loved climbing! My journalism experience has been invaluable, not least because I respond very well to being edited. A good editor always finds a way to help me make my work better, stronger, truer.

Could you tell us a bit about the story, for those readers out there who haven’t yet read it?
Lunch in Paris is really the story of two parallel love affairs, one with my future husband, the other with French cuisine. It’s a romance about the richness of intercultural marriage: how the American “Just do it” attitude and that French joie de vivre learn to coexist—and strengthen each other.

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