Reader of the Week: Denise Louise Debo

Vegan food connoisseur and model scout for UGLY Talent NY

By Kirsten Kilponen
Published: April 27th, 2009 | 12:00am

When one pictures the modeling world, images of towering models that look like they’re in dire need of a sandwich — that simultaneously bombard us with clothes we “need” to buy and body-image problems — come to mind. But in the modeling world of 24-year-old, Denise Louise Debo, she’s searching for people who are a little more… ahem, on the “ugly” side. Don’t get offended just yet; Debo isn’t actually calling anyone ugly. Hear her out as she explains what exactly UGLY Talent NY is, the specifics about her soon-to-be vegan cookbook, and what she really wanted to be when she grew up.

Can you explain to readers of VZ what UGLY NY is?

UGLY NY is a talent agency that started in London around 40 years ago, and was opened in New York around two years ago by CEO Simon Rogers. We represent a truly wide range of people, from the traditionally beautiful to the really unusual, and everything in between! It's a great place because it really proves to the industry and public in general that beauty isn't always about being one size, shape, or color.

How did you land that job?

Before UGLY NY, I was extremely unhappy with my then current job. I came to NY several years ago and had told myself that I would be doing something creative and really grow as a person. Before I knew it, I had a dead end job that belittled me every day. I heard of UGLY NY and loved the idea of what they did. I gave them my resume, came in for my interview, and before I knew it ... Suit jacket off, tattoos out, and I was chatting away with the CEO, Simon Rogers. The environment was amazing and the personalities of everyone there just glowed. I never felt more comfortable. Something I said that day worked well for me obviously!

When you approach people to be "UGLY" models, do they ever get offended?

When anyone from UGLY NY approaches someone, it's rare that they get a negative response. You just have to be straight forward ... and quick! We explain that UGLY is a talent agency representing interesting people of all shapes and sizes that have something special about them, and that we think they would be great for us. They're given a card, encouraged to check out our website, and get in touch. Nine out of 10 times, we hear back from people within forty-eight hours. People love the whole concept.

You're also coming out with a vegan cookbook. What's the title going to be, when is it going to be released, and please tell us what it's going to be all about?

The name of the book is Soyesque and it is still being developed, almost there, though. Basically, I wanted to create a book that had amazing vegan recipes that were adequate to what they were intended to be a version of — meaning taste and consistency. Most cookbooks [just] provide recipes to cook with. I wanted something more exciting and artistic. I am an artist and admire the tattoo lifestyle, so the photos in my book are going to range from lovely tattooed pin-up girls modeling with a casserole, to tattoo artists holding one of my cupcakes as they are tattooing (for the person in the chair's sake, hopefully taking a break from tattooing). I also am going to have a couple of pages of art submissions from fellow artists and interviews with some well known creative artists that [have] the vegan lifestyle as well. I want to make it a FUN book and I've gotten a lot of good feedback on it so far.

What's been the most exciting vegan thing you've cooked? What has been the hardest food to make vegan?

The most exciting vegan dish I made is hard to between my 2 favorites — a green bean and beef stew casserole, and my iced pumpkin cookies. I think the dish that I had the hardest time with was my ribs recipe. This was a dish I had made maybe 5 times before I got it right!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I actually wanted to be a veterinarian. I have always been a lover [of animals] and I was one of those kids that had one of everything. At one time I had 13 hamsters, 2 cats, about 12 fish, a couple of hermit crabs, and 4 birds. There is no exaggeration there either; yes I am slightly embarrassed of that.

Where do you like to hang out, people watch, and eat in NY?

There are so many things to do in this crazy city; it's hard to really mash it all into a quick answer. When it comes to going out, I go to the LES a lot. That or I keep it to Brooklyn. Commonwealth has an amazing jukebox and The Gate is a great place. If I ever go out to eat, it's usually one of three places: Foodswings, VSpot, or Blossom. I love wandering around the city on nice days, going to Prospect Park, and going to Coney Island. It's kind of disturbing how much time I spend at Coney Island. I can't wait for the Mermaid Parade this year.

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Check out Denise’s Myspace page

Check out UGLY Talent NY's Official Website