Lorraine Pascale has segued from a successful career in modelling to opening her own patisserie at Covent Garden in London. What you might not know about this cookbook author, and TV host (Baking Made Easy on BBC television, followed by Cooking Made Easy and Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh and Easy Food) and Covent Garden pâtissière are her Jamaican roots, and that the well-respected Jamaican curator Susanne Fredericks was part of the team responsible for signing her as a model…

I first met Lorraine when I was head booker of the New Faces Division at Profile Model Management. One of our scouts had spotted her shopping in Covent Garden, and had brought her straight to us. As she walked through the door I knew we were going to take her on. She was, 15, tall, slender, and absolutely stunning. Her bone structure was exquisite, as was her complexion, and she possessed this effortless grace at such a young age. She was, of course, interested in modelling, as all young girls are, but it’s not an easy road to take. It requires not only the ‘look’, but resilience, commitment and the hard work that go-sees and castings demand. A model must also be comfortable in front of a camera, and be able to bring life and energy to her work. The main priority in the beginning was maintaining her education whilst she began her career, and after meeting with her adopted parents — Pascale was adopted by white Brits — we decided a way forward that they were happy with. I then took her to the hairstylist Eugene Souleiman at Trevor Sorbie salon and we negotiated a complete crop cut with her. She was reluctant at first, but was quite thrilled with the final result! It was a tight crop, and showed the beauty of her face. She and I went shopping for a basic wardrobe for her appointments, and then we got her out on appointments for testing and editorial clients, arranged around her school schedule. She was booked for her first editorial within a week.

Back in the late-1980s there weren’t many black models in the industry, and she proceeded to become one of the most in-demand. She was booked for various shows at London, Paris, and Milan Fashion Weeks, and was sent to New York after a year, where her career catapulted even further, and where she settled for a few years.

She has worked for a multitude of designers, such as Chanel, Lagerfield, John Galliano, Versace, Benetton and Donna Karan, and has an abundance of editorial work to her credit. Pascale, for example, became the first black Brit to appear on the cover of American Elle magazine and was in the 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated. She was always a very assured young woman. Intelligent, focused and authentic, it’s no surprise to me to see her now, with another successful career in cooking in the UK.

– As told to SO by Susanne Fredericks