I’ve always tried to be sweet as can be…but maybe that is a result of being flat out sugar-crazed.  Sweets have, and continue to, encompass my existence.

As young girls, my sister and I would covet our ‘fudge stripe’ cookies and wear them as elegant rings around our fingers that we slowly munched away on.  Sunday evening dinners with Dad always involved going to Wegmans’ bakery and picking out a special cake to enjoy after dinner.  Weekend drives to Grandma’s always lent themselves to an aromatic greeting and sweaty window panes from a hard day’s work in the kitchen. Whether it was fresh baked rolls, pumpkin pie or halfmoon cookies, the treats were vast and hard to choose which to enjoy first. I would often beg my mom for us to try one of the ‘boxed’ mixes from the store, not realizing how spoiled I was to have a made-from-scratch cake every birthday. Once old enough for working in the restaurant world, I would get excited when my sidework for the night involved cleaning out the pastry case.  You were being paid to closely examine each special cake, with all of it’s hard work, creativity and delicious taste, and wrap them up with the utmost care for the next business day. When I relocated to Colorado, my heart continued to be pastry-centric.  After attending a pastry program at the Art Institute, I was ready to take my passion into a career.

I’ve been honored to work in boutique bakeries and for well established, independent restaurants in Boulder over the past six years. As luck willed it to be, in 2010 I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (an autoimmune disease caused by ingesting wheat, rye, barley and the many condiments/sauces that contain these hidden glutinous ingredients).  Like anyone who learns of such news, it’s paralyzing, sad and impossible to not alter your lifestyle.  Although my love for the food industry has not faltered, I’ve evolved into different aspects of the business, such as managing the restaurant and catering company, Dish Gourmet in Boulder, CO.

Needing to adhere to a strict policy of no gluten, I also have allergies to dairy and potatoes.  All of the recipes I share with you on this site will include no gluten, no dairy and no potatoes.  While I now bake in a different light, I simply refuse to deprive myself of the confections that I once loved.  I am bound and determined to find creative ways to continue to concoct these great delicacies.  I am confident that you can make these recipes in your own homes and receive astounding reactions from your crowd when they discover that they are enjoying the gluten free/dairy free version as much as the original (whether they have food allergies or not).

I find extreme reward in discovering ways to replicate the recipes I’ve established over the years into tasteful, nourishing and artistic treats.  In the art of replicating, I invite you to share with me what sweets you long for and the food sensitivities that you have to substitute for.  Email me at carly@undergroundpatisserie.com and I’ll work underground to find an alternative and share my findings with you.  Together, we won’t be deserted of dessert!