Read the original French version here.

 

Perched high in the Hollywood Hills, in her sprawling, immaculate white three-story home—complete with an elevator and no fewer than nine bathrooms—is where we met Josette Leblond. A home worthy of its owner: spectacular, with breathtaking views over the City of Angels.

And yet, the most demanding resident of this Hollywood villa is not the one you might expect. Throughout our conversation, a little Pomeranian named Moca made sure her presence was known with a series of tiny whimpers. “It’s because she wants attention. She’s jealous of you,” Josette Leblond says with a burst of laughter.

Moca clearly rules the house. But her owner? She rules an empire.

From Normandy blood sausage to the horses of Deauville

It all began in Évreux, Normandy. From the age of six, little Josette preferred following her father around his pig farm to playing with dolls. “I was a little girl who spent a lot of time with her father,” she recalls.

By 14, she was thoroughly bored with school. So she left it all behind and plunged her hands into sausage meat instead. Her secret dream at the time? “I wanted to go make blood sausage in Brittany because they had competitions there.”

Childhood ambitions come in all shapes and sizes. A true free spirit, Josette Leblond wasn’t only talented with pigs—she was equally gifted with horses. She became an accomplished rider in Deauville, although her fearlessness eventually got the better of her. During an equestrian competition, she shattered her leg in four places. She won the competition, incidentally.

No matter. That forced period of immobility would ultimately become the catalyst for her biggest leap yet.

The “American Dream”—without speaking a word of English

In 1985, she arrived in Los Angeles for what was supposed to be a simple vacation, with her six-year-old son in tow and $3,000 in her pocket. She didn’t speak a word of English—but no matter.

In a twist worthy of a Hollywood movie, she was introduced to Alain Grisard, brother of French television host Jacques Martin and executive chef of the food and beverage operations aboard the legendary Queen Mary in Long Beach. Before long, she was making foie gras and pâtés for the prestigious kitchens of the iconic ocean liner.

Realizing that it was nearly impossible to find proper bread and good charcuterie locally, she founded Normandie Pâté, followed by Normandie Bakery—businesses producing Josette Leblond’s specialties while also operating as restaurants.

Her marketing strategy? None. Just excellence. “I’ve never been a salesperson. I think it’s more important to take care of the workers who are actually making the product than to have salespeople running around,” she says with her trademark candor. Success came quickly. At its peak, her teams were producing as many as 9,000 baguettes a day for Los Angeles hotels and restaurants, as well as some of the world’s largest airlines.

 

 

And thanks to her striking resemblance to actress Linda Evans—the star of the hit television series Dynasty—she even supplemented her income during the early days of her American adventure by working as a celebrity lookalike for $200 an hour. “I looked exactly like her,” she says with a smile.

Glitz, Glamour and a Star in Las Vegas

Around the year 2000, overcome by a serious bout of boredom, she moved to Las Vegas to “slow down.” The result of this temporary retirement? She opened a factory, a bakery and a restaurant on Fremont Street.

It was there that she met the love of her life, Tony Sacca, a renowned television producer. He was the one who put her in front of the cameras with the show La Cuisine with Chef Josette. Her success is still quite literally set in stone: today, she has her own star on the famous Las Vegas Walk of Stars, right beside that of her late husband, who died in her arms after suffering a sudden heart attack. “I’ve never gotten over it,” she confides.

France has also honored her remarkable career, awarding her the prestigious Mérite Agricole medal during a memorable ceremony for which she simply filled a 1,000-seat theater.

Energy is in her genes

Ask Josette Leblond where she gets her whirlwind energy, and she rolls her eyes toward the sky. “My father used to tell me, ‘Josette, don’t worry. My mother was the same way. It’s in the genes.’ It caused me a lot of inner turmoil because I would have preferred to be ‘normal,’” she admits, only half joking.

 

 

Although she now runs a more intimate operation with 14 pastry chefs and bakers, she categorically refuses to sell her business. “Whatever happens tomorrow, it’s for my workers,” she says with fierce loyalty.

With a cookbook in the works and a long-held desire to finally explore Japan, Chef Josette proves every day that passion may just be the ultimate secret to staying forever young.

 

C.B.-J.