When she was an undergraduate, Karen Miller took a cake-decorating class with a friend. She liked it and was good at it, but there was one problem: she couldn’t eat anything she made.
Ms. Miller, now 30, had just learned that she had celiac disease, an allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. “I imagined my wedding cake someday, kids’ birthday cakes, all the celebrations I wouldn’t be able to experience like everyone else,” she said. “I decided to experiment until I found a way to make gluten-free desserts that tasted as good as any other.”
Mission accomplished. In October 2008, Ms. Miller opened Three Dogs Gluten-Free Bakery, and so great is the demand for good gluten-free fare, the business has been in the black ever since. There are moist muffins ($1.50 each), sweet breads ($3 a slice, $5 a loaf), delicate Linzer torte cookies ($1 each) and wonderful cupcakes ($1.50 to $2). Custom cakes, breads, pies and even pizza crusts round out the offerings. Three Dogs, named for Ms. Miller’s three family dogs — Duncan (her mom’s), Tucker (her brother’s) and Brodie (hers) — has a growing wholesale business as well.
Ms. Miller, also a pediatric physical therapist, is something of an expert on celiac disease. Customers come from as far as Connecticut, Massachusetts and upstate New York to stock up on her goodies, in part because they trust her to have their best interests at heart.
“I’m not trying to ride the wave of the gluten-free movement,” Ms. Miller said, acknowledging the growing awareness of celiac disease and other gluten and wheat allergies. “My goal is to help make all those important moments we mark with food anxiety-free for those with gluten allergies.” EMILY DeNITTO