She took her PhD in comparative literature from Yale University, where she also met her husband, fellow student Thomas M.C.
Johnston, a future documentary filmmaker and aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
[1] In 1972, as a tribute to her father, she translated the film The Sorrow and the Pity – about the collaboration of French nationals in a town during the Second World War.
Cuisine of the Sun: Classical Dishes from Nice and France was published in 1976 and focused on the culinary traditions of Provence.
[1][2] Johnston's Complete French Cookery Course (1992–1994) was based on the two series of A Cook's Tour of France, which she hosted for BBC Two in 1992 and 1993.