Foodie: Jennifer Wiese of BeeFree Bakery
As a mother of four boys, Jennifer Wiese of BeeFree Bakery knew that creating gluten- and dairy-free baked goods that were also teen-approved was going to be a hard task—but it would be worth the effort. One of her sons, who is autistic, had been placed on a strict diet in an attempt to limit some of his symptoms, and Wiese hated seeing him lose out on all of the treats that make childhood sweet. “His favorite foods were, and still are, chocolate cake and pizza,” she says. “So those were the first recipes I created.”
After 10 years of late-night and early-morning baking sessions in her kitchen, Wiese came up with a line of cookies, cakes, pizza dough, and trail mixes made from fresh almonds, honey, coconut oil, pure extracts, dark chocolate, and dried berries. The goodies—none of which contain gluten, dairy, soy, or GMOs (genetically modified organisms)—not only accommodated her now–17-year-old autistic son’s dietary needs but also kept her other three boys coming back for more. BeeFree’s cane-sugar–sweetened snickerdoodles, Chocolate Krinkle cookies, and Vegan Cowboy cookies are sold three for $5.95 online at beefreegf.com, through Green B.E.A.N. Delivery, and at select health-food stores.
Jennifer Wiese’s Favorite Things
(1) Harvesting homegrown tomatoes: “I used to do it with my grandma.”
(2) Fresh-cut flowers in teeny-tiny vases: “I have a whole
collection.”
(3) Cabernet.
(4) Crossfit Indy North: “Our team just won a spot to go to the worldwide competition in California.”
Photo by Tony Valainis
This article appeared in the September 2013 issue.
