Love Bite Diaries #6: Three More Steps to Being in the Pink

 June 24, 2016

What Makes You Strut?

There are 3 steps leading toward the IV room at the doctor's office, and I just sorta trotted up them. I shocked myself and exclaimed to one of my nurses, Wendy, with a few tears, "I just kinda ran up the steps!" We celebrated for a moment. Me in my flip flops, and she with a syringe in her hand. Quietly, but truly celebrated with that little spark of spontaneous joy. I love Wendy.

It is remarkable what an infection can do. Just a few weeks ago, I was having a great deal of trouble going up and especially down even one step, because my muscles were becoming shockingly and suddenly weak. I'd see a step, panic, and then strategize how I would make my way down. A flight of stairs took an odd amount of courage. I lived in a second floor apartment and it was literally 24 hours between my ability to walk down the steps without blinking, and then pausing in fear as if I were at the top of Everest. If someone were watching, I tried to walk down like a super model, but could see how dreadfully I failed by the looks on my friend's faces. I think I take so many pictures of shoes and my feet, because in May, I was beginning to wonder if I would be in a wheelchair by June. Lyme likes to attack ligaments and joints, and for me it is the ligaments in the hips and shoulder - this time on my left side, and more recently my left knee and elbow, as well. Then all of my muscles got weak. When this first started, it focused more on my right side, but at my sickest I would wake up with all of my limbs temporarily paralized for hours. The fatigue then, was stunning. Neverending. But at that time I was told that I would be lucky if I lived.

But I did live. In February, I as I started feeling like myself again, I had moments that I could skip around like a teenager. I love to move. Then the door froze shut behind me, I was without a coat, and my skippy little feet found a patch of ice outside and hit only one thing - my head. Concussion.

I was starting to work out again on my Total Gym after adjusting my IV treatment at my regular physician's office in Michigan. As the infection was killed off, I could build my muscle back up again, but I could tell there was something blocking my progress. In 2013 and 2014, I was having trouble getting out of the car without falling. My left leg just couldn't hold any weight on its own. I couldn't open doors with my left arm, or hold anything reliably in my left hand. It was simply too weak.

A couple of years before that, I was doing handstands in yoga class. After working my way out of a terrible relapse that happened shortly after I moved to Michigan, I got my stiff back into backbends again, and felt my power return. I would go from very athletic to feeling like aliens took over my body. Once, my muscles were spasming so severely that my Dad brought me to my medical masage therapist, and the therapist had to bring me home and carry me inside. This is scary stuff. Each relapse was brought on by extreme stress and the lack of my own knowlege as well as medical knowlege about Lyme Disease and its co-infections did nothing to stop it. I had never, until recently, heard the word, "co-infection."

Co-infections are one of 16 ways, according to Dr. Horowitz, that keep people with Lyme sick - chronic, they call it. I hate that word, "chronic." But so it has been.

Now, I wait to see which co-infections I actually have.

Each time I relapse, I put out a pair of beautiful high heeled shoes to keep me going toward a goal. I put them where I can pass by them every day. I keep them out to remind me that there is beauty in the world, and people to see, and streets to strut. I like homework, you see. I like something to concentrate on besides feeling like crap. "Hope" is too namby pamby. It feels like a cruel, unattainable joke with a bad, bad punchline. Homework, now that I get. A target, a goal. A bullseye.

Pink high heels.

Love Bite Diary #1: I Never Knew it Could Do That To You.

Opening the Secret Book

Hello Fellow Tender Foodies!

As you may have read from my friend Sue's earlier post, I have been battling something for a long time. For a long time, it was a mystery. For a year or two at a time, at different times, I was completely disabled, and almost died. Then popped back into life after working with an MD who is also a Chinese Herbalist to whom I will be forever grateful. Even after coming back to life, I would regress from walking on my hands in yoga class and on the beach, to suddenly not being able to walk on my own two feet with confidence or at all. Muscle weakness would take over my body with uncanny speed, and the well defined muscles on my legs would simply disappear. I gained 50 lbs in a couple of months, and people thought I ate too much. Then lost 80lbs and people thought I was sick or anorexic. That is simply a few of the many odd shifts in my physical plane that have happened at different times. I've continually altered my life and career with each relapse, have continually battled to get back to those handstands, because if I could do that, I could sing, write, develop relationships, and be of service to people in some way. Through my work. Through my life. I devoted a lot of time to more deeply and spiritually understand the "why" and "how" and "cure" for this - for many years not knowing exactly what "this" is. Finding equalibrium. Changing my diet. Learning more about food, allergies, and immune supporting diets. I've seen excellent physicians, good physicians and simply terrible ones. I had spent all of my earnings and savings, and my parents helped as best that they could when I couldn't do it anymore on my own.

A New and Unexpected Road to Recovery

I recently had a sudden, and unexpected relapse. Unexpected, because I had been in treatment for over a year, and was doing much better again. There were some major allergic reaction-type bumps along the way, which probably interfered with the healing quite a bit, but will save that story for another time.

I am finally working with a top Lyme Disease specialist right now in Albany, NY. He has discovered several co-infections that are common with Lyme Disease, including two types of pneumonia, and some kind of bug that has decided to work on my heart, along with the other muscles it likes to attack. A severely depressed immune system. Plus more co-infections that I am learning about now. It isn't simply one bug that sits in a tick's stomach, you see. It can be several. I had no idea.

 

It Changed My Life

This disease can bring a great deal of misperception and judgement and sometimes, cruelty - from doctors, communities, and even families. "You look fine, stop pretending," even as the muscles all over one's body are spasming so painfully, tears would come. Every single person who has Lyme has had this said to them while inside, they feel like they will die. So I kept my mystery disease a secret as much as I could, hiding, only coming out when in remission or when I could control my symptoms, planning meticulously how to work, get enough sleep, keep meetings, and be efficient; focusing mostly on work, and letting fun, friendships, and baseball games of my beloved nieces and nephews go by the wayside. Did I want to? No. I had to.

I also went from a performing opera singer on the stage, to a writer tucked away in my apartment. There is joy in both. I had always intended to do both. So I am very lucky to be able to do one of those careers now.

Then, I was told I had Lyme. It took a few years for me to admit that I had Lyme. I had other things, I don't want another disease. Good grief. This is not sexy. Not sexy at all. Yet, during this little life lesson, I have also come across many, many people doing battle wtih Lyme Disease in their own unique ways. Some suffering for a long time. Others, completely cured. It affects everyone quite differently. When I came out with the story through my friend and heroine Sue, many people overwhlemed me with the most delicious and healing support, which buoyed me when I really needed it, saved me, and surprised me. I had given up, and didn't realize it. Their support turned a bright light on the belief that, "I can't take one more relapse," and that this time I had actually believed it. I had given up, and they supported me into changing my mind. Sue piled me into my car and drove me to Albany, New York. The land where the magic doctor lives. Like I said, she is my heroine in this story.

There have also been a startling number of people who have said, "I think I have that," or "I know someone like that, or "I never knew it could do that to you!" They thanked me for opening up about it. They actually thanked me for allowing them to support me, which touched me more deeply than I can tell you. They thanked me for sharing information as I learned it. So, I decided to do that here, too.

Celebrities Raise Awareness

Lyme is hitting the news with a little more honesty, because ticks, one of the main carriers of Lyme, are also breeding like rabbits, and jumping on and biting more and more people and their pets. The news is also chock full of celebrities reporting their Lyme Disease or who have been misdiagnosed, like Kris Kristofferson. Doctors treated him for Alzheimers Disease when he actually had Lyme Disease. With Lyme treatment, his memory is back at 80 years old, and so is his life.

Actress Ashley Olson, musician, Neneh Cherry, musician Daryl Hall, reality star Yolanda Foster and Avril Lavine, as well as Richard Gere, and other celebs who have raised the level of awareness to a point of undeniability.

I have come to love the people I have met with Lyme - the ones who can't afford to get help or who give every last cent to try to get better. I see the same yearning in their eyes for life. i see how incredible people are and how interesting they are. These people have gained a spiritual depth, as their daily life slips by. They bring it with them as they recover. We need these people back in this thing called LIFE and to bring their depth of soul with them. It is time for more awareness on what Lyme disease is, how it effects us, and how it truly needs to be treated. So if you would like to start with my story, read here.

With a Lot of Help From Friends and Strangers

Friends - and strangers -  are helping me get treated by one of the rare experts that exist in the world - the true experts, who have pushed boundaries in order to help an ignored population. And I continue to need this financial help to be able to stay in treatment until I am back on my feet. Thus, I am doing the only thing I can do to pay it forward, give back, or whatever the buzz words are these days for offering up the humble gifts you have, because others have helped you. I hope to interview my doctor, write more about insurance as I learn how to fit into a system that spits you back out, about treatments, new research, and tell the stories of the people who I meet along the way who have Lyme and help people with it. And simply open up my own soul after hiding for so many years. Frankly, this scares the crap outta me.

Because now, this opera singer turned writer, is writing about Lyme as I learn about it and as I get treated for it, and without all of the answers. Now that I can lift my head.

Fasten your seatbelts. I'm certainly fastening mine.

Sincerely

 Elisabeth, The Tender Foodie

Read more about Kris Kristofferson's Misdiagnosis.

"He was taking all these medications for things he doesn't have, and they all have side effects," she says. She is wearing one of her husband's tour merchandise shirts. After he gave up his Alzheimer's and depression pills and went through three weeks of Lyme-disease treatment, Lisa was shocked. "All of a sudden he was back," she says. There are still bad days, but "some days he's perfectly normal and it's easy to forget that he is even battling anything."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/kris-kristofferson-an-outlaw-at-80-20160606#ixzz4Cd9gqFF0
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

Where in the World is Elisabeth, the Tender Foodie?

A Note from a Tender Friend

Hi There!

My name is Sue Chaitin, a friend of the Tender Foodie, Elisabeth Veltman. Some of you know her as "Beth." You may have noticed that there haven't been many posts on this blog for awhile, and there is a reason for that. The video above is a clip from Elisabeth's past life as an opera singer. It was her last concert. The story below is about what has happened to her since then, and why we all need to become more educated about it. 

The Tender Foodie, was the start of a larger, unique business plan to help people navigate the increasingly complex road of food and disease - starting with celiac disease and multiple food allergies, and then expanding into other un-researched, but growing health issues which seem to inter-relate. Behind the blog was a business plan for "The Tender Palate" to help us more quickly get the information we need about health, exercise and the immune system, and food (like this recipe for Old Beau Steaks), and to speed up the healing journey so we all can thrive. She had to stop these plans for health reasons of her own, and before this vision was realized. She also hadn't made her personal story public, because she wanted this blog to be about the rare and wonderful experts in each area, not her specific issues alone.  She also wanted to do it without advertising, so the focus could be as objective as possible.

But now she needs our help. Here is Elisabeth's story, as written on a Go Fund Me page that I set up for her. It also has a video of her singing in her last concert. This was the first time I heard her sing, and I was absolutely floored.

I hope you will find the story helpful, and if you are able and moved by it, or have appreciated the information in this blog over the past few years, help her with some overwhelming medical expenses -- and bring her back to life.

She has told me that she will start blogging about her experience and what she is learning soon, to help thank those who are being so generous to help her. Since she can't possibly pay it back, she is determined to pay it forward as best she can.

Sincerely,

Sue

Read the original story & updates directly on Go Fund Me

Elisabeth's Story, told by Sue "Chef" Chaitin

This is my friend Beth. I met her 4 years ago through work.  At the time I didn’t know much about her.  All I really knew was that she had an amazing career as an opera singer in New York City and is now a successful writer.  She struck me right away as an honest, smart and fun person with whom I knew I would get along. She is superbly intelligent and witty. I love being with her because she never judges, she is warm, gregarious, curious, loving, and the best friend anyone could ask for.

 As time went on, I noticed some peculiar absences in our communication and I wondered why. We would call or text regularly, and then she would just drop of the face of the earth for weeks. As time went on and as she and I became closer, I learned that Beth was keeping a secret. Many of you reading this, who know Beth, may not realize the secret, because she is very good at disguising it.

My friend Beth has suffered from complications from Lyme disease for over 20 years. In fact it was so severe she could no longer perform and had to abandon the years of hard work, study and practice; and end her accomplished singing career.

Beth has been reluctant to tell her story for fear of being judged or labeled! You see, not much is understood about Lyme disease, and her story started out with many misdiagnoses: from M.S. to tumours, to the flu, to "its all in your head, sweetheart." It took enormous will and courage for Beth to fight back against the medical apathy she encountered and to continue to hunt for the reasons why her body was failing her. She went from doctor to doctor, getting sicker and sicker, until a friend encouraged her to go directly to an immunologist / infectious disease specialist.  She was so ill, she could hardly walk and almost didn't make it to the cab, let alone her appointment.  The immunologist was the first to understand the severity of her condition, and knew what to test for. The physician asked her to sit down because there would be bad news. Beth found out that she had an infection in the central nervous system which could kill her within a couple of weeks. She might survive if she took some immediate steps.  She took those steps, fought to stay on this planet, and had to radically change her life to do so. We now know that this infection is often related to Lyme Disease - the two diseases can work in tandem by suppressing the immune system, and the CNS infection most likely opened the door for the Lyme. She had loved to hike, and at some point must have been bitten by a tick, but didn't know it. This frustrating medical journey has led to long debilitating periods where she could hardly lift her head, and which still rob Beth of the ability to function on a daily basis in a way that we all take for granted.

As I have educated myself about Lyme Disease, I cannot imagine how Beth continues to soldier on as she does. While many can recover from Lyme with immediate intervention, some people end up with a chronic, devastating illness, with sometimes invisible, but far reaching complications.

If you want to get a good feel for what it’s like to live with chronic Lyme disease I suggest you watch the following video journal of another person who suffered in a similar way: https://youtu.be/So2K68r8pOY

The fact is, Lyme disease is as serious as cancer or heart disease, but it is not taken seriously by much of the medical community nor by insurance companies.

Beth’s complications continue to worsen. She is reacting to most foods, and can't be in the room with even a trace of certain perfumes, air fresheners or detergents because she has developed serious allergies to chemicals in them. Right now, she is getting necessary IV and supplemental treatment that is helping her function until she can get more comprehensive testing and accurately targeted treatment. Without any treatment, or if she has to skip them because of lack of funds,  she has episodes where she cannot get out of bed for weeks with terrifying symptoms. She has been temporarily and partially blind and paralyzed; has had weakness in the muscles that difficult or impossible to walk, and can get muscle spasms so terrible it stops her breathing; her heart and lungs get distressed, she has tremors, palpitations, nausea, fever, fatigue, body aches and pains that make even rolling over or normal movement feel impossible. It has cost Beth between $20,000 and $40,000, depending upon the severity, just for out-of-pocket medical expenses every year. This has been financially and emotionally, as well as physically devastating. Beth is not a victim. This has been a convergence of very difficult circumstances that are simply overwhelming.

You can read more about some of the complications of misdiagnosis here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2015/09/04/lyme-deaths-from-heart-inflammation-likely-worse-than-we-thought/#db29d6e4d81b


There is good news, however. There has been advancement in treatment for Lyme Disease and its companion infections, thanks to a rare group of physicians who have the right mix of skills and passion to help this overlooked community of patients. With the right medical testing and treatment, she can go into remission, help her immune system heal, and become strong and fully herself again. With the help of an expert physician in this complex disease, Beth still has a chance to have a very full life, and with proper management, never have to suffer like this again. However, she cannot let this disease progress any further and needs this help as soon as possible.

Insurance will not cover any of Beth’s medical bills because they consider Lyme to be difficult to catch, but easy to treat. As a result, they will only cover 30 days of Lyme Disease treatment (antibiotics), which will not work for someone who has been misdiagnosed for as long as she has been. There are multiple co-infections and complications from a missed Lyme diagnosis that can be life threatening, especially as the immune system breaks down. And her immune system is breaking down. I would hate for Beth to die because of lack of money and the humiliation she feels from this disease.  Therefore I have encouraged her to allow me to tell her story and to ask for your help.

I'm afraid if Beth continues in this way and does not get the medical attention that she needs, she will die.

 Although she has had help from a couple of wonderful physicians in the past, there are very few physicians with the training and knowlege for difficult Lyme cases. They are quite rare. Physicians need to be experts in infectious disease, as well as Lyme, and understand how antibiotics/drugs work with each type of infection - and how they don't work, and what to do about it. They need to understand how the delicate immune system is altered and how to bring it back into balance. They need to know exactly what to test for and how to read the symptoms for each co-infection, and there are a lot of those to choose from. The physician needs experience to know that the infections, some of which are similar to malaria, can get into every system in the body, including muscles, nerves,  joints, organs, heart, brain and gut - if left unchecked. Beth hasn't been able to find one of these experts local to her in Michigan. But, after much research and evaluation, she has found a physician/M.D. who can help. The medical facility is in Albany, New York, and is called the Stram Center for Integrative Medicine. It specializes in Lyme Disease and has proven to be a success with patients with long-term, complex issues who have suffered like Beth. Treatment is expected to be $32,000 over a two-four month period. Adding in her travel and temporary housing expenses, Beth will need $50,000 to make it feasible. Anything over that amount will be put toward future maintenance treatments that are  out-of-pocket for her. She had enough funding to make her first appointment on May 31, and is very positive about the help she will be receiving there.

Note: She originally had an appointment with another great doctor in Florida, but since the campaign began, heard many success stories about the protocol that this center was using so when an appointment with Dr Stram, M.D. opened up, she grabbed it. For updates on her progress, visit her GofundMe page.

Beth tends to focus on the needs of others, rather than her own. She also has a lot of pride, and does not want to ask for your money.  So I will! Please give whatever you can . . . if you can, to help Beth. Please help save a kind, loving, and talented woman who has so much to give.

CLICK TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN

More Than Just a Pretty Plate. Food Stylist, Laura Goble.

Food Stylist, Laura Goble; Photograph, Jeff Hage, Green Frog PhotoEvery once in a while, I get the opportunity to step away from food allergies, and simply talk to beautiful and interesting people in the world of food. My conversation with Laura Goble is one of those inspirational moments that I'm honored to share with you.  ~Elisabeth

What is a Food Stylist?

“I’m lucky. I love my job.”

When you hear this at the beginning of an interview, you know the conversation will be fun. Food stylist Laura Goble loves food, knows how to cook, and has a creative streak and gobs of energy. Her job isn’t just to make food look pretty for the camera; it’s about balancing editorial and creative, and then integrating a strategy around that pretty food.  

Laura has worked with the United Dairy Farmers, Michigan Apples and the Horseradish Information Council as well as cookbook authors, film producers, and major brands and advertisers. She puts together budgets, creates recipes, and often art directs the shoot as well as styles the chow.  

The task board for this photo shoot. Photo, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo.

But what exactly does a food stylist do?

Laura explains, “People have this perception that it’s magic. There are many tricks of the trade, like using Pine Sol to make melted cheese, or motor oil for pancake syrup. Glycerin is popular to make food look fresh, but it gets onto everything. I use very few additives like that.  I think that food is beautiful on its own. You just need the ability to see it, and then help the photographer catch it.”

Laura & Photographer, Brad Bruce on Set

Laura has always loved to cook, but food wasn’t always her gig. After a divorce seven years ago she was forced to drastically rethink her life. As she hung out at photo shoots with another mom who just happened to be a food stylist, she became hooked. Since food styling degrees don’t exist, this was a rare opportunity to apprentice with a veteran. After attending culinary school, including Boston College and the Culinary Institute of America, this mother of four stepped into the work of creating appetites.

Last January, photographer Jeff Hage and I had the chance to catch Laura in action at a photo shoot for author Stephanie Howard and “Kidlicious”, a cookbook full of plant-based foods for kids. The goal was to get twelve shots a day with a staff of four, which is ambitious, especially when working with natural light in a Michigan winter. But very cool to watch.

Food Stylist Toolbag, Photo, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

The two most iconic images of the day were Laura’s stylist bag and back pocket. A set of dentist tweezers that screamed, “It’s about the details, folks!” was the most talked about item. As Laura dunked cilantro into Dawn dishwashing liquid to perk it up, she uncloaked a little more of the stylist mystery. Dawn also clears grease spots from soup. Trident gum is always on the job because, “you can chew it, pop it, and it’s the right thickness to make things stick.” Sometimes she magically mixes canned frosting and powdered sugar to use in place of real ice cream because it sits pretty for long periods of time and doesn’t break a sweat.

Laura w/ the iconic tweeze. Photograph, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

“Food styling uses a lot of intuition.  When you look at a bottle, it’s not a bottle. You see its shape, the light, the composition of the shot.”  

Thus, from her intuition and a pile of dishes, glasses, fabrics and colors emerged the perfect setting for smoothies, the right patterns for nachos, and some added color for a flawlessly placed noodle.

Laura is now highly successful, but she doesn’t forget that someone opened that door for her. She has a passion for developing new talent, and recently moved into a live / work space on Fulton Street called “Acorn Studios”.  She’s fully equipped to host shoots and fulfill her greater creative vision.  

And her pretty plate is chock full of vision.

The kitchen in Acorn Studios. Photo Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

Advice on Life, Work, & Becoming a Stylist

FOOD PHILOSOPHY

“Real food.  Everything about it intrigues me. I’m curious to see what and how people eat in different places. My favorite Asian market is in Cleveland – it is just fascinating to see what’s in that market, and what other cultures use for food.”

FAVE G-RAP EATS

“Brewery Vivant has really, really good food.  I’m obsessed with the kale salad at Trillium Haven, and I love Grove.”

Prepping a vegan cake on set. Photo: Jeff Hage, Green Frog PhotoFOOD TRENDS ON SET

• Clients incorporate more whole grains into recipes
• Farm to Table is hot
• Less ingredients, and those that are easy-to-find
• The use of fresh herbs, especially in compound butters
• Kale
• Cost Friendly
• People are starting to care about what they eat
• Clients aren’t as concerned with the perfect photograph, they now look for the “perfectly imperfect”

ADVICE TO BUDDING FOOD STYLISTS

“Don't be a baby.  You need stamina because you are on the go, hauling stuff, and standing a lot.  Love food. Know how to cook. Be resourceful, creative, and willing to go to many places to find just the right thing or the freshest ingredients. Clients might drive you crazy, but you can’t take it personally. It’s all about making their product look great.”

ADVICE ON FINDING A NEW PATH

“You can’t force what you aren’t ready for, and that's OK. I recommend the book by Julia Cameron called, “The Artist’s Way”.  I wrote line after line, stream of consciousness style, and got the junk out of the way. I’ve learned to always say, “yes.” It opens you up to possibilities and makes you figure out how to do it – whatever ‘it’ is. If you can’t, you can always say, ‘no’ later. But I’ve got the balls to do some crazy stuff.  Change affects me, like my kids growing up, but I don’t mind change.  It’s fun.”

 

About the Author

 Elisabeth VeltmanWriter, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies & The Tender Foodie, its blog, where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table.

"Sweet Cravings": Adventures in writing my first cookbook

BY GUEST BLOGGER, KYRA BUSSANICH of Crave Bake Shop

Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner and two-time champion of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars".  Kyra's new cookbook, "Sweet Cravings" is due to be published in September, 2013. 

Persian Love Cakes

Suspence Novel or Cookbook? 

Pre-order to get Kyra's cookbook at a big discount today! 

I had always dreamed of one day writing a book. Of course, when I was younger, long before I became a pastry chef, I thought I would simply turn one of my vividly crazy dreams into a suspense novel. I even sketched an outline and wrote a few pages for the particular dream I had in mind (a case of identical twins, and a horrible accident that left one dead and the other to unwittingly claim his brother's identity), but life got in the way and I was too busy with my hobbies, and then dating my now-husband to put my effort into the novel.

After I became a pastry cheThe cookbook manuscript!f and opened my gluten-free bake shop, putting together a cookbook seemed like a no-brainer. Afterall, each of my recipes is original, and when I develop them, I also compile them alphabetically in order to find and recreate them for my shop. Plus, based upon my lackluster experiences with the gluten-free pastries available on the market (when I first went gluten-free eight years ago and before I started baking), it seemed that there was definitely a need for a cookbook full of gluten-free desserts that you could proudly serve to gluten-eaters.

So much of what was on the market was dry, crumbly, and tasted like overly-sweetened sawdust (which is probably why gluten-eaters are still hesitant to taste gluten-free pastries for the first time). But this didn't really become my focus until I wowed the judges on "Cupcake Wars."

The Gift of Cupcake Wars

Award Winning African Yam Cupcakes - got the win on Cupcake Wars!When I first appeared on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" in 2010, I was the first gluten-free baker they had ever had on the show. I had been told by many people that my cupcakes were better than anything else out there (gluten-free or NOT), so I was hopeful that the judges on the show would feel the same way. And once Candace Nelson and Florian Bellanger raved about the "moist, light, tender crumb" and the "flawlessly executed flavor," the phone started ringing off the hook. Ten minutes into the east coast premiere of the show.

By the time the show had aired on the west coast, I had more than a thousand emails in my inbox. Some people just wanted to thank me for showing the world that gluten-free can be absolutely delicious. Some folks wanted to share their story about their diagnosis or their struggle to find delicious gluten-free pastries. Most wanted to place an order for cupcakes or cinnamon rolls, and overnight, I had to figure out how to adequately ship! It was a steep learning curve (and I realized that no matter how many bright orange "FRAGILE" stickers you slap on a box, the ungentle hands of the delivery system don't necessarily heed them).

Four days after the show aired for the first time, I received a phone call from an editor at "Gluten-Free Living" magazine. Kendall told me that she usually catches a few minutes of whatever is on the Food Network as she's unwinding from her day. She often falls asleep to the station. This particular day, however, she heard mention of "gluten-free cupcakes" and sat up straight. Kendall told me it was the first full episode she had seen, and even though I ultimately came in runner up (losing to Brenda's very sleek and elegant sleigh display in the final round), Kendall was impressed. In our phone call, she mentioned that I had inspired the idea of an article called "Cupcakes Coast to Coast," and asked if I would be willing to be interviewed. I welcomed the idea, mostly because I have long felt like an ambassador for the gluten-free world, wanting to show people a little that gluten-free can be delicious. And it can be the start of a vibrant and healthy life.

More than Cupcakes, Just Awesome Gluten-free Desserts

HanantaschenI happened to be featured in the article next to some very well-known and high-profile gluten-free bakers. In particular, Elana Amsterdam (from Elana's Kitchen and author of "The Almond Flour Cookbook") and Erin McKenna (owner of Babycakes Bakery in NYC and LA), both of whom have cookbooks published by Ten Speed Press (an imprint of Random House). In the article, I mentioned that I was compiling a cookbook of gluten-free desserts, not just cupcakes, but also including tiramisu, cannoli, muffins, scones, cakes, pies, tarts and cookies. My cookbook isn't vegan, and it isn't grain-free/paleo/primal. It is simply awesome desserts and pastries that just happen to be made with gluten-free ingredients. Apparently, my Ten Speed editor Lisa Westmoreland was following up on the two published authors and liked what I had to say in my interview. She sent me an email, opening the dialog to begin working together.

Decisions, Luck, & More Decisions

Raspberry Linzertorte Bars (Chapter 4)

Now, let me be frank. I hadn't considered trying to hook up with an established publishing house, mostly because, from what I hear, editors don't really look at authors unless those authors have an agent. At the time, I was still agentless. And agents prefer to only take on clients who have a proven track record for being able to make things happen. So it's difficult to land an agent without already having published, and it's difficult to get interest from an editor unless you have an agent. I happened to get lucky and be in the right place at the right time. But Lisa was very nice, and walked me through the process of writing a proposal (54 pages long!) about exactly what my book would cover. And my mentor Laura B Russell (another Ten Speed author) has published many books and coached me on what to include in my proposal.

The Hard Work to Make it Easy - for Everyone

Classic Cream PuffsIt took me 3 months to write and polish that proposal (submitted July 4th, 2011), and even though I had most of the recipes written at that point, it took me another 11 months to write the manuscript and have non-pastry chefs (teenagers, men, and cooks who adamantly stay away from baking) repeatedly test out each recipe. I wanted them to be as straightforward as possible, making it as easy to replicate my results as can be. Each recipe of the 7 chapters is marked according to ease of preparation ("Easy" for the things ANYONE could follow, even if they only skim over the directions; "Intermediate" for the recipes that have a few more steps and require you to slow down a bit; "Advanced" for techniques that are very familiar to professional pastry chefs but may be a little more intimidating for home bakers). Mostly, I want this book to be accessible. It can be intimidating to bake gluten-free, especially if you're new to the different flours and ingredients. I wanted to simplify this as much as possible. Each recipe is given in the traditional volume measurements that most home bakers are familiar with (such as 1/3 cup, 2 tablespoons), but since it is always more accurate to measure by weight, I also give the weights in grams. This way, someone in Australia who is used to the metric system could still use these recipes. A home baker here in the States who happens to be allergic to millet flour would know exactly how much of an alternative ingredient to substitute (because a cup of say, tapioca starch or sweet white right flour does NOT equal a cup of millet flour).

Final Manuscript & Book Tour!

I turned in the "final" version of my manuscript on June 30th, 2012 (just days after my fourth appearance on "Cupcake Wars"). There is still some fine-tuning and polishing that I'm doing, and just last week, we re-shot a few of the photos for recipes in the book. I am very visual, and I only buy cookbooks with gorgeous photography of edible and delectable looking dishes, so I want the photos in my book to look as inviting as possible. I am very proud to say that "Sweet Cravings" will come out on September 10th, and though I don't yet know details, there WILL be a book tour!

Can You Do it All?

My Gluten-free Sisters!

I've often been asked how in the world I managed to compete on Cupcake Wars so many times (with 2 wins!), run the bake shop, write the cookbook AND still have a personal life. The honest answer is that I haven't. My personal life was the first to go: I have let many friendships lapse, and date nights with my husband have gone by the wayside.

I have an amazing team of staff who keep the bake shop humming along (in particular, my managers Jackie Eizik, who was my assistant on Cupcake Wars, Jen Petersmark, Lisa Horness and Carly Sullivan). We bake 17 hours a day, beginning with a midnight shift, and thank goodness I no longer need to be present the entire time the shop is open. And the conferences are things that I probably shouldn't have time for, but I really enjoy. I have made some friends who feel like family and these expos are the only time we see eachother. It's a lot like summer camp friends who actually stay in touch. We bond over good food (and food we can ALL eat, as each and every one of us is gluten-intolerant), and email, text and talk during the months in between conferences. And though the show hours are long and grueling, knowing that I'll be having dinner with my sisters makes it all worth it.

Secrets: Almost Losing it All

Being passionate about what you're doing makes it all worth it, but there are indeed sacrifices along the way. Most people don't know this, but in the very early days, before I had my retail location, my husband Jason was out of work and looking for his place to land. We couldn't keep the mortgage with the paycheck from my restaurant job and we wiped out our savings and my 401K trying. Eventually, we decided to put what little money we had left into the bake shop and while we were building the brick and mortar storefront, we lost the house that we had owned for 8 years, and had to move into Jason's dad's house. Every penny I earned from the business went back into the business.

Things Get Better!

My New Mixes!Along the way, Jason found a great job, and eventually bought the practice. The bake shop was immediately busy and I scrambled to hire the right employees. I went back on "Cupcake Wars" (and again and again). My new line of gluten-free cake and cupcake mixes has come out, too!  The mixes use the actual recipes that I won "Cupcake Wars" with: The Vanilla mix was used for the Spicy Peach Bellini, NY Cheesecake and the Coffee & Doughnuts cupcakes; the Snickerdoodle mix was used for the Chai Spice and Apple Fritter cupcakes; the Chocolate mix for Chocolate Hazelnut, the Dark Chocolate Delight and the Ding Dong cupcakes). And now my book!

I do have regrets along the way (if only I knew then what I know now!), but my job is never one of them. Everything that has happened has been for the best, and I am truly excited to see where things go from here!

More Articles About Kyra on TenderFoodie

2011:  My Chat w/ Crave - the First Gluten-free Baker to Win Cupcake Wars

Behind the Scenes of Cupcake Wars with Kyra Bussanich

About the Author, Kyra Bussanich

Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars".  Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free.  Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.