- Wendy has acquired extensive knowledge and expertise in over 30 years of gluten-free baking
- Her goal with Gems of Gluten-Free Baking is to let people know gluten-free baking can be a positive and rewarding experience with delicious results. In doing so she hopes the diet’s tarnished reputation is lifted.
- She attributes her success to the use of specific combinations of whole grain gluten-free flours.
- Gems of Gluten-Free Baking fills a much needed void in the market place by featuring seven of the most desired categories of baking.
Celiac was once considered a childhood illness. As an infant Wendy became critically ill after eating a wheat-based baby cereal. With great difficulty her parents located a physician who suspected her emaciated appearance, bloated tummy and chronic diarrhea were symptomatic of Celiac disease. She was placed on a restricted diet of bananas and cottage cheese and within a short time good health returned. During her toddler and preschool years a regular diet was gradually introduced with no apparent ill effects. An illness in her twenties triggered Celiac-like symptoms. A gastroenterologist confirmed it was Celiac Disease. Her only treatment was to make the gluten-free diet a life-long commitment. Three members of her immediate family were later positively diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
At that time there were few commercial products available. The wheat flour replacements were either highly processed starch or white rice flour and produced unacceptable baked goods. In her desire to produce appetizing and tasty baking she became passionate about finding a suitable replacement flour. As a former Registered Nurse with an avid interest in nutrition she turned to whole grain flours. Over many years she experimented with individual and combinations of whole grain gluten-free flours - 13 in total. From this evolved an innovative flour blend she called GEMS flour™ which produced exceptional wheat-like baking. GEMS flour™ produced exceptional gluten-free cakes, cookies, breads and desserts that more than met her expectations. Gems of Gluten-Free Baking is the result.