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Norma Jean Darden ‘61, like many Sarah Lawrence alumni, is a “hyphenate” -- actor-writer-singer, dancer-mayor, doctor-teacher. Ms. Darden’s combo? High-fashion model turned restaurateur. She was one of eleven models in the famed “Battle of Versailles Fashion Show” in 1973 and appeared in Vogue, Harper Bazaar, and ESSENCE magazines, to name a few. Today, alongside her sister, Carole Darden-Lloyd ‘66, they own Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too and Miss Maude’s Spoonbread Too, which are cornerstones of the Harlem community, serving traditional southern cuisine and award-winning peach cobbler.
Earlier this year, Ms. Darden took the stage at The Moth’s HARLEM WEEK, which celebrates the stories, places, and storytellers of Harlem that define the borough.