As a Young Child, Madeline Helped Me Through a Tough Recovery 

When I was 5, my mother took me to the library to get my very first library card.

At 6, I had my first corrective polio surgery, and before I went to the hospital, we went to the library to stock up on books for my recuperation at home. My mother told the librarian why we were there and asked if she would bend the rules and allow us to check out more than the allowed amount.

She was happy to oblige and suggested Madeline be part of our selection. The story of a little girl who had to go to the hospital for surgery and had a scar, as a badge of courage, amazed and enthralled me. —Ina Pinkney

About Ina Pinkney

Ina Pinkney was the chef/owner of The Dessert Kitchen Ltd. for 10 years and supplied private customers, restaurants, caterers, and hotels with desserts. She opened Ina's Kitchen in 1991, which quickly became Chicago's Premier Breakfast Restaurant, and is now the Chef/Owner of Ina's, an American Food restaurant serving Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner in Chicago's trendy West Loop Market District. On December 31, 2013, Ina hung up her "Owner" cap, closing down Ina's after 33 years.

Ina has done Research and Development for recipes for 3 issues of The World Book Encyclopedia Christmas Around The World, The Popcorn Institute, and Quaker Oats. This media-savvy professional with a camera-ready personality has appeared twice as a guest on SWEET DREAMS with Gale Gand on the Food Network and was featured on THE BEST OF on that network as well. She is a frequent and welcomed guest on local news and cable TV and has done interviews on shows in the U.S., Canada, and Germany.