My family is filled with generations of bakers and cooks. My grandmother decorated cakes for extra money in the '60s. My mother made cakes too, but she is best known for her Christmas Creme Puffs and sweet breads (banana, pineapple, pumpkin, etc.). Her love of baking passed on to me--including the love for freshly baked bread. Working with breads and pastries was almost second nature for me and I would make them as gifts for friends when money was tight.

That is until 2017 when three of my kiddos were diagnosed as Celiac. Their digestive systems were so damaged their food allergy panels lit up like holiday lights on the outside of a wannabe Griswald House. Our food world crashed as did my ability to bake and cook. As I tried to navigate making meals that met each child's allergy specific needs, I watched me kids grown thinner and thinner. Going to the grocery store was like a minefield of, "Sorry, you can't have that because . . . ."

I attempted recipe after recipe to make the cookies, breads, cinnamon rolls, cakes, etc. (they could not have from the store) with no success. One time in particular stands out when I attempted to make a marshmallow dessert from scratch and failed so royally that I ended up attached to the counter and had to be pried off. I am ashamed to admit I was so frustrated and disappointed in myself that I had a 2-year-old-level melt-down which included screams, wails and globs of sticky marshmallow flying through the kitchen to adhere to any and all possible surfaces. The kids came racing into the kitchen only to be pelted by the already in flight chunks. Now, I was even more mortified. God, help me, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt my children or set a bad example of how to react when things go soooo wrong.

Shocked looks changed to loud laughter and a food fight ensued. In the end my children were licking their fingers and telling me it tasted good. Their ability to see the positive in the situation helped me reset my determination to find a solution. I wanted my kids to be able to participate in family, friend and community gatherings (Christmas, Thanksgiving, celebrations, communion, Easter, etc.). All of these involve some flour-based traditional baked-goods that they felt left-out when no GF options were available. After many nights of prayer and online searching, I found other GF bakers, the most influential of whom was Chef Alina.

I watched videos and took classes and my GF baking skills improved--I was now able to make enjoyable GF items. I realized my kiddos were not the only ones who needed and deserved delicious GF goods, so I started sharing them with my family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who also enjoyed what I made for them. That is when I created Bread 'n Remembrance, LLC (A Gluten Free Bakery).

My goal was to share delicious Gluten Free baked goods with others so they could feel included in bread-centered traditions, celebrations, and memory-making moments.