Lorraine Pascale
Encyclopedia
Lorraine Pascale is a British former model
, cook, and Pâtissière. She has authored a best selling cookery book and presented a television series. She has opened her own retail outlet in London selling baked goods.
and Buckinghamshire
by a white family. When her adoptive parents divorced when she was three years old, Pascale remained with her mother, who subsequently became ill. At this point, at age 7, she was fostered
to more than one family, with differing degrees of "fit". Eventually she returned to her mother. She won a full Scholarship given by the Buttle Trust and so was educated at a boarding school
in Devon
.
Pascale has an elder adoptive brother and a half-sister (that is, her adoptive father had a daughter after the divorce). She is aware of her birth parents' identity and their four other children, but she does not wish to re-establish contact.
She married in her "early twenties" and the couple had a daughter. The couple subsequently divorced.
. Based in New York
, she achieved recognition as the first black British model to appear on the cover of American Elle
. She appeared in the 1998 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue
.
Despite her success, Pascale recognised the need to ensure her future after modelling and embarked on a series of career "try-outs", including hypnotherapy
and car mechanics. She took a Prue Leith
diploma cookery course in 2005 and finally found that cookery fitted her "like a pair of old jeans". After gaining her diploma, she did a series of 'stages' in some London restaurants but, realising that restaurant hours would not suit her, Pascale established herself as a specialist cakemaker, with an exclusive contract with Selfridges
. Her introduction to Selfridges was at the suggestion of noted chef Marco Pierre White
and in 2008 and 2010 she supplied the London store with over 1000 Christmas cakes. She has opened her own shop, Ella's Bakehouse, in Covent Garden
. She also studied at Thames Valley University in Culinary Arts and is hoping to finish her dissertation later in 2011.
In January 2011 Pascale presented her own television bakery programme, Baking Made Easy, on BBC
television and published a bakery book based upon this series; this has been followed by a general cookery programme Home Cooking Made Easy in September and October 2011.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, cook, and Pâtissière. She has authored a best selling cookery book and presented a television series. She has opened her own retail outlet in London selling baked goods.
Family
Pascale was born on 17 November 1972 to West Indian (Caribbean) parents but she was adopted when 18 months old and brought up in OxfordshireOxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
by a white family. When her adoptive parents divorced when she was three years old, Pascale remained with her mother, who subsequently became ill. At this point, at age 7, she was fostered
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
to more than one family, with differing degrees of "fit". Eventually she returned to her mother. She won a full Scholarship given by the Buttle Trust and so was educated at a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Pascale has an elder adoptive brother and a half-sister (that is, her adoptive father had a daughter after the divorce). She is aware of her birth parents' identity and their four other children, but she does not wish to re-establish contact.
She married in her "early twenties" and the couple had a daughter. The couple subsequently divorced.
Career
Pascale was spotted, when 16, as a potential model by the same agent who had found Naomi CampbellNaomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
. Based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she achieved recognition as the first black British model to appear on the cover of American Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
. She appeared in the 1998 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....
.
Despite her success, Pascale recognised the need to ensure her future after modelling and embarked on a series of career "try-outs", including hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a therapy that is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis.The word "hypnosis" is an abbreviation of James Braid's term "neuro-hypnotism", meaning "sleep of the nervous system"....
and car mechanics. She took a Prue Leith
Prue Leith
Prudence Margaret Leith, CBE is a restaurateur, caterer, TV cook, broadcaster and cookery writer. She was born in South Africa, with her working life spent mostly in London, England....
diploma cookery course in 2005 and finally found that cookery fitted her "like a pair of old jeans". After gaining her diploma, she did a series of 'stages' in some London restaurants but, realising that restaurant hours would not suit her, Pascale established herself as a specialist cakemaker, with an exclusive contract with Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
. Her introduction to Selfridges was at the suggestion of noted chef Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
and in 2008 and 2010 she supplied the London store with over 1000 Christmas cakes. She has opened her own shop, Ella's Bakehouse, in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. She also studied at Thames Valley University in Culinary Arts and is hoping to finish her dissertation later in 2011.
In January 2011 Pascale presented her own television bakery programme, Baking Made Easy, on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television and published a bakery book based upon this series; this has been followed by a general cookery programme Home Cooking Made Easy in September and October 2011.