Pamela Anderson reveals what she believes is the true “symbol of success” as she discusses the cookbook

Despite a varied career full of awards and recognition, the barometer by which Pamela Anderson measures her success is not a shiny trophy, but a well-stocked refrigerator.

The 57-year-old Hollywood icon opened up about the inspiration behind her new cookbook, I LOVE YOU: Recipes From the Heart, saying her love of plant-based foods began at a young age.

Anderson, who admitted she didn't grow up with a lot of fresh produce, remembered the first time cooking piqued her interest — and it all started with a salad.

As the Washington Post reported, Anderson recalled visiting her neighbor's house when she was about six or seven years old and finding the refrigerator filled with whole foods — an amazing change from her fridge at home.

“I always thought that was the symbol of success when you can open your fridge and it's just packed,” the actress and model, who grew up on Canada's Vancouver Island, told The Washington Post.

The former Baywatch star recalled the salad viewing, where she said she first really thought about where the food came from.

Pamela Anderson opened up about the inspiration behind her new cookbook, I LOVE YOU: Recipes From the Heart, and shared that her love of plant-based foods began at a young age

“The fact that food doesn’t just come from the supermarket, vegetables don’t just come from a can – I think that was a big realization for me,” she said.

An avid animal rights activist, Anderson was driven to vegetarianism at a young age, which later morphed into veganism. She admits this was inspired by her father's hunting.

She remembered coming across a decapitated deer hanging after one of her father's hunting trips and realizing in horror what it actually was.

“When I realized it was meat, I thought, 'I can't do that,'” she said.

She added that although her book is vegan, she sees it more as a “celebration” of her love of cooking, her garden and vegetables.

“I also don't judge other people based on how they eat, and so I didn't want this to be a typical vegan cookbook, so it's moved to the vegan section of cookbooks,” Anderson said.

“I just want it to be an homage to my garden and my vegetables. “It just doesn't leave anyone out in that way.”

The actress, who has been a vegan for almost three decades, was convinced to write a book by her two sons Brandon, 28, and Dylan, 26, to whom she later dedicated the book.

The 57-year-old Hollywood icon recalled the first time her cooking piqued her interest – and it all started with a salad

An avid animal rights activist, Anderson was driven to vegetarianism at a young age, which later morphed into veganism. She admits this was spurred by her father's hunting

The actress was convinced to write a book by her two sons Brandon, 28, (left) and Dylan, 26, (right), to whom she later dedicated the book (pictured 2023).

“I gave them a recipe card box with a bunch of recipes as a housewarming gift,” she explained on Good Morning America.

“And of course, as an entrepreneur, Brandon said, 'Mom, this is a cookbook.' And I said, 'Okay, let's do it,'” she shared.

Last week, Anderson attended the Zurich Film Festival to promote her new film The Last Showgirl and also accepted the Golden Eye Award at the Swiss Film Festival.

While there, she revealed to the star that she had suffered from depression for “a couple of decades.”

When I look at it now, it feels like I went from Baywatch to Broadway. “I don’t know what happened in between, it’s all a big blur,” she began.

“I'm just happy to be here at this moment because I think I've been suffering from depression for a few decades,” she said.

“I never thought I would stand on stage and receive an award like this. I just want to keep working. “I’m looking forward to doing more,” she admitted.

Her resurgence began with the 2023 documentary Pamela, a Love Story and her memoir Love Pamela.

“Ryan (White) did this document and that's how Gia saw me.” “I always knew I was capable of more,” she said