Going gluten and grain free either out of necessity or as a health choice has long been synonymous with a lack of choice and flavour but Sunshine Coast café owner and author, Tania Hubbard, is changing all that.
A self-confessed foodie Tania is launching her new cookbook, gluten free grain free – food we love, with a celebration on Saturday 29 October. She is passionate about wholesome, delicious food and her cookbook, like her Nambour café – Husk & Honey – has built a strong following amongst discerning foodsters.
Tania’s journey in developing great gluten and grain free recipes began several years ago when after suffering migraines, chronic fatigue, and repeated bouts of pneumonia, she was diagnosed intolerant to the proteins in cereal grains. “Since I made changes to what I was eating all my symptoms stopped but I wasn’t prepared to give up the great taste of food so I set to developing recipes for wholesome and yummy foods,” Tania said.
It started with a market stall at Caloundra market and then the café which Tania and her husband Eric opened in Nambour’s Queen Street three years ago, where she developed her famous shortbread and hundreds of other recipes. The couple then developed their own gluten free, grain free bake@home range of products to help people make great tasting cakes, biscuits and bread without the hassle often associated with gluten and grain free cooking.
Then by popular demand about a year ago Tania started work on the book. “It has been bloody hard work but it is a labour of love – we wanted to make sure every recipe was as easy to make at home as it is in our café and that the photographs show the food just as it comes out of our oven – it really is food without makeup. It has been a really wonderful journey and I am really excited to be launching it at last.
“The launch party is a celebration of all the work and effort involved and to say thanks to everyone who has believed in our gluten and grain free dream – and it’s the more the merrier so we are inviting everyone to join us,” Tania said.
The launch will be at the Husk & Honey Café on Saturday 29th October at 9.30am.
“There will be live music and we will be breaking some of my great Chia & Almond bread. All the street traders are getting involved and there will be great coffee available for purchase with Australian and Queensland Barista champion Tim Adams coming along to support the event.
Tania said her cookbook aimed to provide great recipes and also help people understand and enjoy gluten and grain free living.
gluten free grain free – food we love is packed with 175 pages of mouth-watering recipes such as Chocolate Chia Seed Cake and Gluten & Grain Free Bread (one of the recipes Tania is most proud of), information about stocking a gluten and grain free pantry, label reading and much more.
“I have always loved food, I found it to be a great outlet for my creativity and I am so excited to now be sharing it through this book,” Tania said.
According the Coeliac Society of Australia, coeliac disease affects 1 in every 100 Australians, not including those with wheat and grain intolerances, with about 75 per cent of those suffering remaining undiagnosed.
“I have always enjoyed experimenting with food and finding out I was intolerant to the proteins in all cereal grains was the catalyst that prompted me to develop that passion,” Tania said.
Tania said when they jumped from the markets to the café, they wanted to create a place were people could gather, chill out and enjoy good, wholesome food.
Now, three years later, Husk & Honey Café is a thriving must-stop spot for health-conscious locals either looking for a tasty bite to eat or to purchase something from Tania’s delicious bake@home range.
Tania’s condition turned out to be a blessing in disguise, helping her realise her talent for food which has led to her being in high-demand as a speaker and to her recent nomination as a finalist for Outstanding Business Person of the Year 2011 in the Sunshine Coast Excellence in Business Awards’ and also as a finalist in the 2011 Food Challenge award.
“My food isn’t just for coeliacs and those with grain intolerances, it’s for everyone and anyone that wants to enjoy nutritious and wholesome cooking that tastes great,” Tania said.
“Food has turned my life around and I thoroughly enjoy helping others on their path to healthy eating,” Tania said.
gluten free grain free – food we love will be available for purchase from Husk & Honey Café from 29 October and retails at $37.50. It is also available online at www.glutenfreegrainfree.com.au where you will also find more information about Tania, Husk & Honey Café, and the bake@home range.
