Meet the author
Deborah K. Davis
Born in Los Angeles and raised on planes, trains and cruise ships by a Canadian father and a Spanish mother, Deborah grew up with a full passport and a palate for fine food and wine.
With her father, Stanley Edward Keller (1938–2019), to whom the book is dedicated.
The story
From film sets to the family kitchen.
For more than thirty years, Deborah has worked in film and television production and finance. For just as long, she has volunteered with animal rescue and foster groups — mostly for dogs — and has helped find homes for more than twenty of them, including her own.
She approached the cookbook the way a producer approaches a film: every recipe written, tested and plated with care. Most were developed during the pandemic, with Bella at her side as the official taste-tester.
Her family loved to cook, and she learned by watching them in kitchens across Europe and South America. The book is dedicated to her father, who taught her to love animals and to savor the food and cultures of the world.
The kitchen crew
Four rescues, one very busy kitchen.
Sous chef & taster
Bellissima
The white Chihuahua-Maltese who started it all. Service dog, sous chef and the final word on every recipe.
The Mexico chapter
Bootsie
Affectionately known as “Piglet,” and proof that a more moderate diet can still be a delicious one.
Rescue sister
Daisy
One of Bella’s sisters and a dedicated member of the clean-plate club.
Rescue sister
Bebe
The newest sister in the pack, always first in line when the oven door opens.
Foreword
Lisa Newell, D.V.M.
Malibu Coast Animal Hospital
I have been a practicing veterinarian in Malibu, California, for over twenty years. As a long-time, beloved client, the author has consistently demonstrated her deep, abiding love for all animals — domestic or wild, large or small, feathered, furred or scaled.
As long as I have known Deborah, she has donated extensively to animal causes of all varieties, whether financially or, more importantly, with her valuable personal time.
Human grade, these organic recipes are internationally inspired, covering all tastes from appetizers to desserts. With minor variations in seasonings, these are all recipes people can thoroughly enjoy as well. Bone appétit!