hi, my name is mia (aka mimi)! i’m 23 now but i started gluten free with mimi back in middle school when i was first diagnosed with celiac disease back in 2014. though the moment is now years in the past, i vividly remember the feeling of profound disappointment on the day my diagnosis was confirmed. i was shocked that a casual comment during a routine pediatric check-up took on a life of its own. i had mentioned to the doctor that my grandfather was recently diagnosed with celiac after years of declining health. little did i know that this single sentence would cause a whirlwind of consequences. several doctors appointments and one biopsy later, i felt my dream of a perfect little bakery in a quaint village being shattered. my treasured recipe book, produced over years of my childhood, complete with hand-drawn pictures and rainbow-colored stickers meticulously decorating each page, went straight in the trash. what use would these recipes for delicious cakes, pies, and cookies have to me now?
i spent the better part of my first year adhering to a gluten free diet absolutely miserable. every new product my parents would excitedly bring home with such hopeful enthusiasm tasted like cardboard and felt like sawdust in my mouth. though melancholy, i had this small voice in the back of my mind pointing out my folly. i had often experimented with different recipes and flavor combinations with less than stellar results. that’s what i loved to do, what made me happy. some of my recipes were real winners, others complete duds. regardless, i had always enjoyed the process. what changed? just the set of ingredients i had at my disposal. slowly, this voice took hold of me. why would i abandon baking, my favorite pastime which i held so dear? this was simply a new challenge, a new opportunity. soon i began to think of it as a cause worthy of my full attention. with renewed enthusiasm, i researched everything i could about celiac disease, about the food chemistry behind gluten-laden flours verses gluten free alternatives. i was eager to begin experimenting anew. i had a new recipe book to write: “gluten free with mimi.”
today, i am proud to say that through much trial and error, i now have a body of gluten-free recipes worthy of sharing. more importantly, i found a new appreciation of the age old maxim, “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” i learned that if life gives you celiac disease, use rice flour, potato starch, or almond flour instead ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
a decade later, i have decided to revisit this project and fulfill little mimi’s dream of sharing recipes with the world. this site is still a work in progress but i hope to add new recipes often. follow me on instagram @glutenfreewithmimi to keep up to date with my newest creations. and if you are located in / around the lehigh valley area in pennsylvania, please feel free to reach out to order any of the items you see on the site! happy baking ♡