I have been fortunate in my life to have been introduced to and experience many foods. I lived in Manhattan as a young child and was introduced to the many diverse foods available in the city. A trip to the butchers always brought the bounty of salami ends. The Italian ice was a favorite treat after a hot afternoon in the park. Rack of lamb, creamed spinach, asparagus and artichokes were some of my favorite dishes before I was five years old. My family moved to the South when I was eight years old offering new exquisite tastes of Cajun and Creole, barbeque and fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits with homemade preserves. Living in France during my 20’s brought many more culinary delights of fois gras, wild baby boar, lapin à la moutard, tart citron and framboise. Whether home cooking or dining out, eating with family and friends was my greatest pleasure in life. I love food!
My diagnosis of Celiac Disease brought my life down around my fork and spoon. No more breads, cakes, tart citron, pizza or bagels, not to mention fried chicken, gravy or stuffing on Thanksgiving. Loving food, loving to eat, and loving to cook and serve good food to my family and friends, that love of cuisine inspired me to pursue a culinary education so that I could continue to enjoy the treasures of cuisine. It has been the defining point in my life of having a choice to be defeated or to overcome. Gluten free is not a sentence to boring, dull or flavorless food. It is a challenge to overcome the science and chemistry of cooking, to redefine the ingredients and processes, and to achieve a final version of taste, flavor and texture equal to the original. I thrive on challenge. Bring on the bagels!
