A Farmer’s Daughter
S. E. Filomeo is an Italian farmer’s daughter, cherry grower, gardener, cheffette, teacher, and writer. This Central Valley native is most content when puttering in her gardens and cooking up fabulous dishes. Her summers are blessed with friends and family gatherings at the Filomeo Farm in the heart of California wine country. Winter months are spent in “semi-hibernation,” experimenting with recipes, reading “anything and everything,” or writing articles and manuscripts to keep her inner writer content.
Due to her knack of throwing together veggies from her garden and items in her pantry to create delicious meals at the drop of a paper plate, she was encouraged by a friend to write a cookbook. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became about compiling her mess of chicken-scratch recipes, quirky cooking tips, and serendipitous gardening experience all together in a book to share with the world. She would call it Crap in the Cupboard, fueling her passion for sharing the importance and value of growing her own food and eliminating waste.
About that time, the same good friend recommended her to HerLife Magazine, Central Valley, as a contributor, where she eventually scored her own column, waxing witty about her personal experiences with gardening, cooking and her chickens. It was shortly thereafter that she was chosen by the editor to be on the cover for her varied talents and accomplishments. She became the cover girl of the May 2015 Home and Gardening issue.
But little did her readers and followers realize that she had been working on another project that would be a major contrast to everything she was writing about. This project would become Tortue du Soleil, the first book in her fictional novel series based on her twenty years of travels to French Polynesia. Crap in the Cupboard would have to take a back seat on her hard drive —at least for a while.
Why French Polynesia?
S. E. Filomeo has always been fascinated by the ocean and her islands. Her grandmother would visit her aunt who lived on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu and would bring her grass skirts and coconut bras for dress up. Growing up in Central California, she had access to the coast with beaches, ocean waves, and Cali sunshine, yet she dreamed of faraway tropical places. One of her favorite books was Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink, also of Caddie Woodlawn fame. She imagined herself surviving on a desert island as one of the young character castaways in the story.
When she actually began her travels as an adult, she visited Hawaii and Mexico, and even went on safari up the Amazon River, before finding and falling in love with French Polynesia. Once smitten by the tranquil turquoise beauty of those South Sea Islands, she simply could not bring herself to travel anywhere else and has spent numerous Christmas vacations thereafter exploring the many islands, its people, and their culture.
With always a notebook in hand, she began journaling, not realizing that the places she visited and the people she met would one day be the substance of her books. And hence, the Tortue du Soleil series came to fruition.
Food for Inspiration
S. E. Filomeo’s spiritual journey began at conception, as her family was raised in the Catholic faith. She will tell you that over the years, her faith and dedication have only grown and blossomed due to life’s trials and tribulations. She relies heavily on her favorite Bible passage, Psalm 37:5—“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”
There have been numerous times in her life when she had to just let go and say, “Jesus take the wheel.” She is fond of telling others, that you never know where God’s path will lead you. “Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone to make your dreams a reality. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of your opportunities; they are placed before you for a reason. And most of all, have faith. Don’t get frustrated, and remember to laugh at yourself once in a while.”
Follow Her
For daily tidbits and info on new releases in the Tortue du Soleil series, join @sefilomeo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X , and her website at www.sefilomeo.com, where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
S. E. Filomeo 