*A bowl of fresh plums from the farmers market and sparkling water.*

Catherine may is from Provence, France. She moved to New York city in her early 20’s to pursue a dream and now owns Maison May, a thriving french restaurant & coffee shop in Brooklyn.

She invited me to her home for our interview, where we spoke about the nostalgia of scent, the Mediterranean sea, and the importance of simplicity in life. we sat in her Fort Greene home, a beautiful, 3-story brownstone, filled with natural light, stacks of books and large white walls.

She is effortlessly beautiful and natural with a laugh that warms the soul.

- London Red

“When I think about those memories, it’s like smell and texture and it’s light. It’s like there is a sense of time, in Provence, but it goes differently.”

— Catherine May on her youth in Provence

Interview: Catherine May, New York Restaurant Owner from Provence

| Interview + Photography by London Red

London Red: Tell me where you’re from and a little about yourself…

Catherine: “I’m Catherine May, I was born in Provence. I moved to new York in ’95.. I’ve been in Brooklyn for 20 years. I have 2 boys Theo and Luca, and 2 businesses, Maison May Vanderbilt and Maison May Dekalb.”

London Red: Talk about France, do you feel like you would have been a different woman if you had stayed in Provence, as compared to the woman you are now?

Catherine May: “Yes, very much so. When I moved here, I was young so I didn’t grasp why I was leaving my country. Looking back it was almost a desire to run from something and to search for who I was, but I did not realize it at the time… If I had stayed in France, I would not have been able to explore off of what my departure allowed me to do in the long run. Sometimes I think about it, what would I have been like (if I had stayed)… It’s mind blowing, because of course, how can you really know? But based on friends and family, I don’t think I would have had the strength I have now if I had stayed and not challenged myself the way that I did.”

London Red: How much English did you know when you came to the states?

Catherine May: “I was pretty fluent, as much as one can be after college. So I was comfortable enough to speak and to understand. It was not like, “ohh what is happening?” It was more like the cultural aspect. My brain was ok to handle becoming bilingual, but today, 22 years later, there is so much that I don’t know (cultural references and history) so much that happens in middle school.. It is an incredible task to blend into a country and to learn everything about it.” (Catherine laughs.)

“The things that were uplifting were the smells, colors, and the food.... That was a different France, which does not exist anymore. I have very pungent memories of my summers in the Méditerranée, swimming in an amazing body of water, and sea urchins.”

— Catherine May on growing up in Provence

London Red: Describe Provence. (I’ve been waiting to ask her this question since the moment I met her)

Catherine May: “Well, (sighs) Provence. For me, Provence is like the youth memory of what I go back to in my head. They (the memories) are vignettes, little stamps of summer vacation, or my grandmother’s garden. Not necessarily my day to day, because it was not like I was born & raised in a “beautifulll” house or “beautifull” everything.. (she laughs as she exaggerates the words) By all standards it was certainly lovely, but for me it’s bitter sweet, because I left and there was this longing inside of me. It was slow and depressing to be honest, sometimes I get contracted when I think about that.

The things that were uplifting were the smells, colors, and the food. I’m 44 so that’s 30 or 35 years ago, and that was a different France, which does not exist anymore. I have very pungent memories of my summers in the Méditerranée, swimming in an amazing body of water, and sea urchins. Having my skin burnt in the sun and having this amazing day at the beach, then going back to my grandmothers home and cooking these amazing meals and running around. Those are the best memories. I was probably 5, 6 or 7 years old and I have the memories of the scent of laurel, and the needles from the tree, (pauses) pine needles. We would grab them when they’re rusty from the sun, and you rub them, and smell them. If you had those scents in the bottle and opened it for me, I would probably start to cry. I could hear the cricket, I could hear the ocean in the background. It’s slow, its such a different pace, you move in time and you actually feel the time. Where here (New York) you actually run after the time and you feel so crazy. When I think about those memories, it’s like smell and texture and it’s light. It’s like there is a sense of time, (in Provence) but it goes differently.”

*Books stacked in and on top of Catherine’s fireplace.*

London Red: What are your favorite scents?

Catherine May: “Anything that smells authentic. I stopped wearing perfume a few years ago, because there were too many chemicals. Like this morning at the market when we were together, I smelled the basil and it was really strong, and felt really fresh and vibrant and authentic. Something that has integrity, like a pungent tomato or a peach that actually smells like a peach. And of course, those smells that I was describing to my memories of Provence are special as well.”

London Red: When you’re walking around around, do scents trigger memories?

Catherine May: “Oh, for sure. It’s very important to me. I have a strong sense of smell and that triggers memories very fast.”

*Catherine in her kitchen in Fort Greene.*

London Red: What inspires you?

Catherine May: (Repeats question) “What inspires me? Simplicity… It’s probably because I live in New York and it’s a way to re-charge… (Pausing) …People who take the time to do things right, or a simple cloud in the sky. Simplicity is really what inspires me, most importantly in people and in things. When simplicity shows the integrity and intentions, it’s really quite complicated to actually do that, but that’s what I’m the most inspired by in things. It’s like an easy, beautiful aesthetic, and in the end it’s the same with people.”

*Inside Catherine’s simplistic style Fort Greene bedroom.*

London Red: Did you always know you needed calm environments to inspire you, or is it something you grew into?

Catherine May: “That’s a great question, actually I grew into it because, I did not tap into my intuition as much as I’m doing now.. I’ve been more creative this past year than I’ve ever been in my life. I learned through the process that in order to be creative you need to replenish yourself. I indeed realized by the way I put the interior of my business together and my home, that helps me regenerate. So, yes, simplicity is something, and the quiet.”

The winding staircase in Catherine’s Fort Green home.

London Red: Tell me about Fort Green.

Catherine May: “To live in Fort Green is such a privilege in my life. I can spend days and sometimes weeks without seeing a chain store or an advertisement. I go from my home to my businesses and I don’t see a Starbucks or a bank. I just go to the Green Market on weekends. Even if I work 15 hours a day, I’m not completely depleted, because I don’t see this aggression of unnecessary noise and images, and its crazy.”

London Red: You kind of created this french essence, by living close to your restaurant…

Catherine May: “I’m the most happy when I can stick to my guns and live in New York like I live in the village. It’s exactly true. Meaning that I certainly enjoy the city, I go to the museum, but I am very careful the way that I curate my schedule, and curate the people that I bring into my life. I meet tons of people every day and it would be easy for me to be out every night. But I really know who my people are and I really know what I like, so I don’t stretch myself. I shut down the noise. I do explore and I do new things, but I do live in a village: I tend to my people, I tend to my friendships and I tend to my community. Because, I cannot tend to the entire New York city. That’s impossible.” (Laughs)

*Books stacked in Catherine’s upstairs bedroom.*

-Interview by London Red-