Having spent time in the food industry as a caterer, Kate Baird is an experienced baker and executive chef. After repeated requests for gluten-free products from clients, Baird decided the time was right to start a business which consisted of selling only gluten-free goods.
“I wanted to create a place where celiacs could come and choose from a wide range of gluten-free freshly baked products that are safe, look appetising and taste delicious,” said Baird.
Having spent more than thirty years raising her children, she decided to follow her lifelong ambition of becoming a chef. Baird attended the decorated Wintec Culinary School, which lead to her becoming a commercial cook and caterer. Although difficult to get right at times, gluten-free baking has a wide reach.
“I enjoy the challenge of adapting recipes to make them gluten-free. I see something in a magazine or another shop and start working out how I can make it gluten-free. It is not just a matter of replacing the flour as it is a real science to compensate for the lack of gluten and protein.”
Baird makes five different types of flour blends to accommodate the style and product and can be used for a variety of bread, pastries, biscuits, and cakes. In addition to gluten-free, many customers also exercise a dairy-free diet too. She says that this is a trend also adopted by vegan customers as well.
In April, Bliss Bakery will be collaborating with Grey Roast Coffee and will be selling hot beverages to their customers as well as their baked goods. This is one step towards Baird's dream of Bliss Bakery becoming a café style outlet.
She says that a lot of research and trial and error experimenting are the key to success when baking gluten and dairy-free products, to not rush and resist the temptation of expanding too soon. Baird says that all bakers should follow their passion, but have a clear vision of where they want to get to.
