At the age of 3, my dad and I made our first gluten free cookies. Since that day I was hooked; hooked on baking, cookies, and creating gluten free alternatives for other kids like me. For my fifth birthday, and every birthday thereafter, my dad gave me the gift of baking. We would spend the entire day in the kitchen together inventing new recipes and perfecting our old ones. The scents and sights in our kitchen were unlike anywhere else on earth, that of fresh baked goods right out of the oven. To this day when I am in the kitchen baking a sense of nostalgia washes over me, and I am the little girl on my stepladder laying out cookies on a baking sheet with my dad, all over again. Baking with my dad was my home, my innocence, my source of inspiration, and determination.

I have been a passionate baker all my life. I would sit for hours in the kitchen, testing new recipes. If they came out well I smiled, if not I tested and re-tested. There were times in my life when I knew cookies better than I knew my friends. My dad once told me I developed a love of baking as a girl, and if nurtured that love and passion would blossom through my life. My love of baking is land in the rainstorm, and during stormy times is when your passion is truly tested. That was my dad’s secret and he passed on to me. You can never tell what the quality of a batch is going to be until the very last cookie is baked.

Growing up with celiac disease, my dad taught me that our differences are what make us individuals set apart from society. Cooking was his joy, and following in his footsteps, it has always been mine as well. He showed me the importance of finding something that brings you joy and sharing that joy with the world whenever possible. So from me to you…I bring to you, my dad’s cookies.