I’m really excited to be starting this blog and to get the chance to hopefully help people along the way, but that is not my end goal. My mission is to open up my own café that is 100% gluten and dairy free. This has been something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a sophomore in high school. When I first discovered I was allergic to gluten and dairy back in 2012 my major concern was that I was never going to be able to eat anything ever again. Sounds a bit dramatic don’t you think? Now, I know that was not the case but it sure felt like it. Gluten free products didn’t really show up in groceries stores till 2013 when the FDA issued that they start labeling the gluten free products. I was super happy when this happened because I had been a few months into not being able to eat my usual foods. But, that did not take away the struggle when going to restaurant’s and them having absolutely nothing to offer for people with gluten allergies. That was my first thought thirteen year old me had. What if there was a place that offered foods I could eat?

Switching over to the dairy free side was a little bit different. I’d say that dairy free products started to arise a few years after gluten free products had been put in grocery stores. One of the first dairy alternatives was soy milk. This has been popular since the 1970s and was what really changed the milk options in the supermarkets. For me, in 2016 was when I saw a lot more options for dairy free products. Although these types of foods have always been around, people don’t realize that they can be classified as dairy free. But, there was still an issue. No restaurants offered any dairy free options. One major struggle that I personally have dealt with is that even if they do have gluten free options at the stores or in restaurants that doesn’t mean they’re dairy free as well. Its either one or the other. That really bothered me and got me thinking again. Will there ever be options that are both gluten and dairy free?

This is how I came up with the idea to open up my own café. Specifically, 100% gluten and dairy free! I want people with these type of allergies to have more than two options on menus. I want people to be excited to go to brunch with their friends and family and know they have a whole menu of options. There is nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning and craving pancakes, or biscuits and gravy, or the classic omelet filled with fresh veggies with a side of toast. Is your mouth watery? Mine sure is! But not being able to find that anywhere out to eat. That’s my end goal. To open up my café and have people be able to go to my restaurant and find their favorite breakfast foods. I’m currently a sophomore in college working on this goal as we speak. This is my calling. What God has put in front of me is not an obstacle but an opportunity to be bigger than myself and help people with food allergies enjoy going out to eat.

xoxo,

Sophia