When I began dreaming up the cover story for our holiday issue, one name kept circling back to me: Mimi Thorisson. Our paths first crossed more than a decade ago, and even then, she embodied the essence of an abundant life—family gathered around a table overflowing with food, and beauty woven seamlessly through everyday rituals.

I first connected with Mimi when she began captivating readers with her recipes and evocative storytelling from the French countryside. Since then, her life has unfolded in inspiring chapters: several cookbooks, a growing family, and most recently, a move to Turin, Italy, where she’s found fresh inspiration in markets, pastas, and the rhythms of a new home. For our holiday issue, we talk about her journey, her new book A Kitchen in Italy, and how she creates magic at the table this season.

Making Italy Home

Mimi’s story is one of reinvention. After nearly a decade in the Médoc, where she built her career and raised her children amid vineyards and farmhouses, she felt the pull of a new adventure. Italy was the family’s escape—and in 2018, when her publisher suggested an Italian cookbook, the fantasy became real.

Camille: Tell me about that transition. What made you decide to pick up and move from France to Italy, and how did you find your new home in Turin?

Mimi: When we decided to come to Italy, we’d been living in the Médoc in France for nearly a decade. That’s where everything started—the country life, all the babies, all the dogs. My career blossomed organically, and with each new baby—one every two years—it felt like a return to nature, back to my roots. I was discovering my passions, my cooking, and finally becoming my true self.

During this time, we would always go on holiday in Italy. In 2018, when I was about to write my next book, my editors suggested that I do an Italian book, because Italian food was always what I was cooking on the side. That’s how the idea of Old World Italian came to be.

We’d had such an amazing decade with the children, and my cookbooks, and even doing some TV shows in France, but we were ready for a change of scenery. So we thought—why don’t we go to Italy for 1-2 years while I write the book?

We found Turin by chance. It’s the fourth biggest city in Italy, but it’s kind of off the map. It’s an old Italian capital, so beautiful, and the most French of the Italian cities. The boulevards, the castles, the history, the kingdom, and of course the food—we fell in love.

I found a pasta coach and I took it really seriously, studying four times a week. Being in my late 40s, I was feeling ready for something exciting and to learn something new.

Then COVID hit, the book came out during that time, the kids settled in as they grew, and we realized that we’d found our new home in Turin. The quality of life here is so beautiful, and so we decided to stay. We feel so embraced in Italy—it’s a welcoming, hospitable, and graceful place to plant roots as a family.

The Making of a Creative Life

For those who are just discovering her work, Mimi’s path to food was anything but linear. Born in Hong Kong, she moved to Paris at 18, where she studied finance and built a career in television before finding her true calling in the kitchen. It wasn’t until she and her husband, photographer Oddur Thorisson, moved to the French countryside that she had the time—and the canvas—to cook and share her passion with the world.

Camille: For readers who may not know the full story, how did your cookbooks, blog, and workshops first come to life?

Mimi: It was really when I met my husband in Paris that things began to change for me creatively. Oddur is Icelandic, a photographer and art director, and he enabled me to become myself. I’ve had a passion for food since I was a child, but I never thought I could make a career out of it. Meeting him made me realize that I was also creative and that I loved cooking—and writing about it. His photography helped me bring it to life.

The first project we worked on together was a restaurant guide to Paris. When we began having children, I had a desire to move to the country. At the time, I was pregnant with Gaia, who’s 14 now. We rented this farmhouse in the Médoc to embrace a slower-paced life.

That’s when I finally had the time to cook and savor the ritual of going to the market and preparing meals. Back in Paris when I would host dinner parties, my friends would always ask me for my recipes, so I started my blog Manger as a place to share them. 

I was lucky that people connected with my work, and larger media outlets began to share it. For me, it was a place to share my recipes, like a little journal—it felt very homemade. Oddur brought his beautiful photography, and together we leaned into styling and art directing the imagery to accompany my writing.

I didn’t really choose this path—it found me. It also came when I embraced a different way of life: one that was slower and left time for pursuing my passions and what was important to me. I very much believe in intuition, and that good things happen when you follow your gut.

Camille: I’m so drawn to how natural you are in your approach. And I think what you said about time is so key—if you had stayed in that more fast-paced life in Paris, you may not have unlocked your full creative potential.

Mimi Thorisson: In a city, there are more opportunities, and I think I would have ended up more business-focused with less time to be creative. Here, going to the market is like a canvas for me. I have space to really think about the recipes I’m creating. 

A lot of people are afraid of losing their security. They get caught up in questions like, “Will it work out for the kids? How will their education be?” But to make great things happen, there has to be a sense of impracticality in taking the “easy” choice. When we came to Turin, we didn’t even have a school lined up, but I just knew we would find the right one. It was a good choice to put them in a school where they didn’t speak a word of Italian—they just learned because they’re kids. I had faith that it would work out, and it did.

My Kitchen in Italy

Mimi’s cookbooks have become modern classics—equal parts recipe collections and windows into her family’s life. With her newest, My Kitchen in Italy, Mimi brings readers into her Turin home to share the food that nourishes her family every day.

Camille: Let’s talk about your new cookbook! It’s so beautiful—I want to make everything. Not only because of the recipes, but also the vibe and the lifestyle that you convey through the gorgeous photos and storytelling. Tell me about what you hoped to accomplish in this one that was different from Old World Italian?

Mimi: Old World Italian brings you along on our travels around Italy. It’s very regional, with chefs and friends sharing recipes. My Kitchen in Italy is more about our decision to actually live here in Turin. This has become our home. We found this beautiful, big apartment, and I built a kitchen here. It’s filled with my go-to recipes—the simple dishes I make with my kids: school-night dinners, a birthday cake… It’s the kind of everyday food I love to cook.

The Art of Gathering

Mimi’s entertaining philosophy is about abundance and warmth. Think candlelight everywhere, oysters to start, champagne always at the ready, and a centerpiece built from chestnuts, persimmons, or a tumble of onions and lettuces from the market. It’s rustic and abundant, yet utterly elegant—the kind of magic only Mimi can create.

Camille: This is our holiday issue, and your gatherings always feel so magical. What, to you, makes for a truly memorable dinner party?

Mimi: It’s about having a nice meal that’s very seasonal, with a sense of abundance. I always want my guests to feel like they’re in their dream restaurant (my version of it). Plus, I have a very entertaining husband who makes overflowing cocktails—he takes the lead in that department. 

For a centerpiece, I love creating installations with produce that make the table feel abundant. I’ll use chestnuts from the market, and right now I’m counting the days until persimmons show up. This time of year, I might also use pumpkins, beautiful lettuces, or onions.

We love putting vegetables everywhere—baskets of garlic and onions. People are always surprised by the beauty of these simple colors. It becomes a rustic mountain of produce, both humble and striking.

Mimi’s 5 Essentials for a Festive Table

Candlelight, everywhere. “It’s not a dinner party without candles—lots of them, at different heights, to create atmosphere.”

Champagne. A bottle of bubbles instantly signals celebration and sets a joyful tone.

A wow-factor cheese. Think Gorgonzola laced with truffles, or a decadent wedge served with savory wafers or rustic bread.

Seasonal abundance. Centerpieces made from produce—persimmons, chestnuts, pumpkins, even onions—feel rustic yet striking.

A convivial kitchen. Invite guests to pour cocktails, fold napkins, or assemble canapés alongside you—it turns prep into part of the party.

Camille: What would you say to someone hosting this holiday season who’s feeling a bit anxious about making it all come together?

Mimi: The thing you don’t want to do is stay in the kitchen while everybody else is having a good time. I like to make the kitchen feel welcoming for my guests, and I invite them to help me cook. It feels so convivial—you can serve drinks in the kitchen, while everyone helps assemble canapés or fold napkins. 

Camille: How does your family celebrate the holidays? Do you have any traditions or dishes you always make?

Mimi: For the holidays, we always try to have a few special things. Now that we have quite a few big kids living in Paris, they always bring us home French goodies and nice breads. We like to create themes. For example, I’ll have a Russian theme with blinis and caviar, borscht and stroganoff, and little bottles of vodka on ice. 

The kids are very excited for Thanksgiving, so of course, for that meal, we’ll go with an American theme. We have a great butcher who makes these special turkeys that he stuffs with Parmesan and prosciutto for an Italian twist. 

We’ll also make an Italian feast, mixing traditions from all the regions and serving on beautiful plates with homemade Christmas crackers. We take out the nice napkins for holidays and create a whole atmosphere.

The Market Ritual

If there’s one place that fuels her creativity, it’s the market. For Mimi, it’s not just shopping—it’s listening, connecting, and discovering. It’s a ritual that anchors her cooking, and one she encourages others to romanticize, too.

Camille Styles: I know the market is such a source of inspiration for you. How does this ritual shape the recipes you create and the way you cook for your family?

Mimi: Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up early and go to the market because I’m preparing for a dinner party on Wednesday. I want to see what’s there and make sure the menu I’ve planned is what I want to do. I’m waiting for persimmons to arrive, because I want to do duck breasts seared with pears and persimmons to celebrate autumn.

I love going to the market because it’s where I hear people talk. I hear what they’re cooking, and get inspired by other people’s recipes. Turin has these beautiful old cafés that are all made of marble. So I’ll start by walking over to the café, sit and have a little breakfast, and then go to the market. I’ll spend an hour or so there, and it’s very heartwarming. I know the vendors, and they’re all so kind. 

Where Meals Matter Most

Living in Italy has deepened Mimi’s appreciation for food as a cultural cornerstone. From bustling markets to neighborhood butchers, every detail of daily life is shaped by what’s in season and what’s on the table.

Camille: I think one of my favorite things about being in France or Italy is that almost everyone loves food as much as I do. Food is such an important part of the culture that’s woven into everything.

Mimi: Here, food is the main agenda. Here we’re spoiled with incredible butchers and the freshest markets. It’s very important to people here that they can cook something nice and seasonal every day. 

Camille: What tool in your kitchen do you use most often?

Mimi: I have this little hand mixer that I use all the time. My husband always tries to hide it because he finds it ugly, but it’s my go-to tool. And my mandolin is so useful and makes everything extra pretty. I also love my grater and my pasta machine, because it makes it so easy to whisk a few eggs and flour and make some easy, delicious pasta. 

Camille: What are a couple of cookbooks that you love?

Mimi Thorisson: I love a cookbook with a story, that almost reads like a novel. My all-time favorite is Sophia Loren’s, which was such an inspiration for me—not only the way she was writing with her anecdotes and her life story, but also for her beauty, real talent, and intelligence. I also love Audrey Hepburn’s and Jackie Kennedy’s cookbooks. They’re very old school and elegant. And of course, Julia Child has been a classic since the beginning.

I love getting stuck in another era. My mother was very feminine and very French, and she loved these books, too. I long for that feeling in the food and the whole aesthetic, and I think I got that from her.

The Essentials

A perfect meal should: always end with a dessert wine.

It’s not a dinner party without: candles everywhere.

Every cook should know how to: make brown butter.