My name is Daniela, the creator of The Gluten Free Austrian. I am a Chicago-based Pastry Chef, Gluten Free Recipe Developer, Food Stylist and Photographer, Dog Mom, Celiac, and Marathon Runner.
I was born and raised in Innsbruck, Austria. Yes, I know how to ski and no, I have never seen the Sound of Music. I have lived in the US for the last 16 years – mainly in Chicago but also lived in Traverse City, MI for 7 years.
I am a professional trained Pastry Chef with an extensive background in fine dining as well as bakery-style establishments. Due to being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in my late teens, my main focus is creating gluten free recipes that taste like “the real deal”.
I owned a successful dedicated gluten free bakery in Traverse City for several years which I closed in 2016 to move back to Chicago and work for Barry Callebaut as a Brand Specialist. During those 3 years, I not only gained a lot of knowledge about chocolate and patisserie but also met and got to know some of the best Pastry Chefs and Chocolatiers in the world.
When I am not in my kitchen working on a new recipe or trying to get that “perfect” shot of something I just created, I am most likely out on a run or walking my Pointer Feather.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I have a thing for cookies and chocolate and could write about both topics for days. If you are a chocolate nerd like me, I know we will be BFFs forever.