Camille Fourmont isn't quite sure which box she fits into: "I'm neither a chef, nor a sommelier, nor a cheesemonger, nor a decorator." Yet, since 2012, this tall, tattooed and ever-smiling 41-year-old has opened eateries that suggest she's a bit of everything. First, La Buvette, a wine bar serving food on Rue Saint-Maur (Paris' 11^th arrondissement ), popular with both Parisians and tourists. Then, Baby Love, a made-in-France burger bar with ultra-pop décor featuring neon lights and bright red Formica, just a little farther down the street. Finally, there's Olga, which is a cross between a cheese shop, a sandwich shop and a wine shop, located near the Gare de Lyon in a neighborhood known more for rolling suitcases than refined palates.

This unconventional restaurateur's background can be traced to somewhere near the Loire, where Fourmont grew up. "My mother was a great cook and made sure that every meal was a real moment of togetherness. She instilled in me an appreciation for good food. From my father, a teacher at the Beaux-Arts, I must have inherited my taste for beauty." Coming to Paris, the young Orléans native, in central France, took her studies in oriental languages very seriously.

To earn a bit of money, she picked up some shifts as a waitress at Café Noir, a bistro on Rue Saint-Blaise in the 20^th arrondissement. "The first day was a total disaster. Christophe Lebègue, the owner, pulled me aside at the end of the shift and said, 'You did everything backward today. Put things in the right order, and it'll be fine.'" The novice grew in confidence and felt so at home in this neighborhood restaurant that she eventually found herself being "less excited about going to class at the Sorbonne" than she was about going to work.

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