Dee's One Smart Cookie... Gluten Free Never Tasted So Good


is on a mission to educate the world: gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, peanut free and now tree nut free items do not have to taste like saw dust and be heavy as door stops. Preparing baked goods with the best and freshest ingredi- ents can not only taste good but can be good for you. "I wasn't looking to make products that tasted good 'for gluten- free products.' My goal was to create products that tasted great, period," says Kittle.


D Located in Glastonbury, CT, this


cozy bakery is chock full of items usu- ally forbidden to those on restrictive diets. Glass cases are filled with exqui- sitely decorated birthday cakes, cup- cakes, cookies, bars, brownies and pies. A highlight of the offerings is the gluten free breads that are crusty, chewy and light as a feather. Rolls, pizza, flat breads and hamburger buns roll out of the ov- ens daily. The aroma on entering the es- tablishment is a heavenly delight for the senses. For many people on restrictive di-


ets being able to eat pizza again, enjoy breads and muffins and dive into tasty cookies and brownies is a dream come true. “When visiting my bakery for the first time people don't know whether to laugh or cry, dance or sing,” said Dee. And every day is different at Dee’s!


The selection of treats and breads change daily with suggestions and observations gathered from her lively Facebook ac- count. Dee actively solicits feedback from her customers as to what they like and what they may want to see in the fu- ture. Customers can count on flatbread Tuesday, Wednesday is egg and yeast free day for those following a vegan diet and Friday is gluten free pizza day.


Catering to Diet Restrictions and Allergies


Trained as a pastry chef and sugar artist, Dee knows first hand the challenge


iane “Dee” Kittle, owner and creative genius of the popular bakery Dee's One Smart Cookie


of living a restricted diet. While working as a sugar artist she started suffering from recurring joint pain, swelling, fatigue and gastrointestinal problems and was diagnosed as having celiac disease, a severe auto-immune reaction to gluten. Even ingesting a small amount of gluten, which is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley and conventionally processed oats causes the immune system to at- tack the lining of the small intestine and impedes absorption of nutrients, in ad- dition to other medical conditions. It is estimated that this disease affects one out of 95 people in the U.S. Individuals must follow a lifelong


gluten-free diet to allow the intestine to heal and prevent further damage to the immune system. Since gluten is found in many food items, including toothpaste, spices, and many packaged items, celiac sufferers have to learn to read the labels on everything.


Even Wedding Cakes! Realizing that a large part of the


population suffered from one type of re- striction to their diets or another, Dee de- veloped a line of products using brown rice flour, agave nectar and minimally processed organic sugar. The bakery also makes egg-free and


yeast free products. Custom orders to accommodate a wide range of food al- lergies are available, including wedding cakes! Dee and her head baker worked in the wedding cake business for years prior to opening the bakery and offer wedding cakes ranging from simple, el- egant designs to the outrageous. Dee’s was, until recently, producing a few se- lect items that contained tree nuts, pro- duced on a separate day on segregated equipment, when the bakery was closed to the public. And although all respon- sible measures were taken to ensure against cross contamination, she recent- ly decided to eliminate all tree nut pro- duction, due to time constraints. If you have a coconut allergy, please inform staff—we use coconut milk and shred-


www.naturalnutmeg.com August 2010 9


ded coconut in several products. " Dee explained. Since gluten-free baking is much


different from conventional baking, reci- pes contain unexpected ingredients like fruit, legumes, or coconut. Ingredient lists are provided and are color coded to denote dairy-free, egg-free, etc. Addi- tionally many of the varieties of cookies are available in frozen dough form to be baked at home for future enjoyment. Dee's One Smart Cookie, LLC


opened in November of 2008, has fans of the sweet and savory treats traveling from all over the state and beyond to en- joy her products. "I have moms in here with kids who had never had a cupcake in their life," says Kittle. "Grown-ups who hadn't had fresh bread in years would come in, pick up a loaf and start to cry." For parents of young children with food allergies or restrictive diets, a trip to


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