I worked in American rinky-dink restaurants, however, received an excellent self-taught education while cooking for one of them. The boss let me experiment freely, and I took up a great interest in fine cookery, even if the restaurant served American steak and baked potatoes. I was making tangines for specials—had my little corner in the refrigerator for preserved lemons. For a decade or more I would use Gastronomique as my pillow.