As a strawberry-blonde, freckle-faced girl, I was fortunate to model for the famous illustrator Norman Rockwell, and later I was scouted by Oleg Cassini to model his fashion designs in Manhattan, New York. My French father, a VP of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, knew the world of modeling. He took me away, traveling and dining in the finest restaurants, as he did not want me to be in that world.
When I had a family of my own, I continued the tradition of fine cuisine, as I had developed discriminating tastes. I rolled up my sleeves and began my cooking journey. The first cookbook I read was Gourmet Techniques of French Cooking by Louis Diat, who was a chef and teacher at the Ritz Carlton in Paris. I was hooked.
As the Great Dane from Copenhagen and I, the Little Turtle, cooked side by side, I was brought back to my Swedish/Danish heritage from my mother's side, Kemp/Johansson. On my father's side, my French heritage started in 1607 on the Bailhe' family vineyard in Gaillac, near Toulouse in the southern Basque region. The story of The Great Dane and Little Turtle is about creating a new life. For a life with no love is like a harp with no strings. Come along as Little Turtle's life begins to fall into place like a fairytale as she finds her way back to love, in one of the greatest love stories ever told.
