M. R. L. (Maud Russell Lorraine) Sharpe

Maud Russell Lorraine Sharpe (1867–1949) was an American writer, designer, socialite, and vegetarian activist. Born Maud Russell Lorraine Carpenter in West Virginia and raised in Chicago, she later used the name M. R. L. Sharpe and eventually the form "Emarel" Freshel, a spelling drawn from her initials.

She is most closely associated with The Golden Rule Cook Book, a substantial collection of meatless recipes first published in the early 1900s and later issued in a 1912 edition by Little, Brown, and Company. The book reflects more than recipe writing: it presents vegetarian cooking as a humane, thoughtful way of life, which helps explain why it still attracts interest today.

Later in life, she was also known for animal-welfare advocacy. Sources connected with Emarel Freshel describe her as active in vegetarian and anti-cruelty causes, showing that her cookbook was part of a broader moral and social commitment rather than a one-off publishing project.