Lorraine Pascale

Lorraine grew up in Oxfordshire with her adoptive mother and aged 11 she achieved a 100 per cent scholarship to go to a boarding school in Devon. Aged 16, she was spotted by a model scout while shopping in Covent Garden. She was whisked off to New York and held her own amongst the biggest names of the day for some of the worlds most successful designers including Chanel, Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Versace, Benetton and Donna Karan. She was also the first British black model on the cover of American Elle. Although Lorraine had a fabulous time modelling, she gave it up as she wanted to find something she was really passionate about and something that would take her through her 30s and beyond. So in between modelling jobs, she enrolled on loads of courses to find out what would really make her tick including hypnotherapy and interior design. It was not until she enrolled on a year long cookery course at Leith's that Lorraine finally knew what she wanted to do. On completing the Leith's Diploma of Food and Wine, Lorraine did a two year foundation degree in International Culinary Arts in Pastry and then worked in some of the most renowned kitchens of the world, including Petrus, The Mandarin Oriental, Gilgamesh and The Wolseley. But working 18-hour days for someone else wasn't easy for Lorraine which led her to start her own business creating celebration cakes. Today, Lorraine's cookery career is going from strength to strength. A long held dream is being realised with her first television cookery series `Baking Made Easy' being launched in the New Year as a prime time TV show on BBC Two. Viewers will be able to watch Lorrraine discuss her love of good food, while she expertly prepares a wide selection of recipes (baking isn't just about cakes, there are lots of savoury dishes as well) and talks about her love of baking. The book launched alongside the show and shot straight to the top 3 in Amazon's Food & Drink bestsellers list. And as if all of this wasn't enough, Lorraine is still finding time to continue her studies - with a degree in culinary Arts Management and attends a London university one day a week. www.LorrainePascale.co.uk