Rianne

My name is Rianne and I've had a lifelong love affair with all things sweet. I'm a thirty-something desperate housewife and wannabe domestic goddess. I live with my husband and two kids in sunny San Diego, California.

A few years ago, I was working as an academic advisor at a local university. One day, I was sitting in my office thinking, "I always tell my students to 'follow your passion and success will follow you.' So why am I not following my passion?" I absolutely loved making desserts and I really wanted to learn more about baking and pastry. With the support of my family, I quit my job and enrolled in the San Diego Culinary Institute. I enjoyed every minute of it. I was lucky enough to train under Master Pastry Chef Bo Friberg and Chef Yves Fournier. I did my internship at Opera Patisserie and started working at Hans and Harry Bakery after graduating.

Unfortunately, my new career as a pastry chef was short-lived. I had to leave my job a few months after I got pregnant because I was having serious complications with my pregnancy. My son was born six weeks prematurely and it was then that I decided to put my career on hold to stay home and care for him.

While adjusting to being a full-time mom, I continued to experiment in the kitchen. I also tried my hand at cake decorating and really liked it. Eventually, through word-of-mouth, people started asking me to make cakes for them.

When my son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, I stopped making cakes and focused on taking care of him. The irony of it all....I love making delicious desserts for everyone, but the one person who matters to me the most can't eat them at all. I spent countless hours in the kitchen trying to learn how to cook and bake without using peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, eggs, soy, wheat or dairy. I've revised and adjusted my recipes to accommodate his food allergies. A year later, my son outgrew his wheat and dairy allergies, which made a huge difference in his food options, especially desserts. A few years later, I had my second child and he started showing signs of food allergies as well.

Right now, I'm still experimenting in the kitchen and make desserts for my friends and family. I started this blog because I wanted to share my recipes, stories and passion for making desserts. I especially wanted to share the recipes I created for my kids because I know how hard it is to find good dessert recipes when you have food allergies. I've included an allergy note to each of my recipes to make it quick and easy to find out if they contain any of the top 8 food allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, soy, wheat and dairy).