Episode 27: From Food Network Competitor to Gluten-Free Baking | Chef Alina’s Culinary Journey

On this episode of Gluten-Free Unwrapped, I’m diving into the story of Chef Alina Eisenhauer. She started as a professional pastry chef and bakery owner who competed on multiple Food Network shows, including Cupcake Wars.

Chef Alina’s career took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid disorder, and felt her world crashing in. As a prolific baker, it was evident her craft was making her sick.

She shut down her bakery and relearned everything she could about baking without gluten. She even discovered she had a knack for gluten-free baking and developing reliable recipes, even for hard-to-make foods, such as gluten-free breads and pastries.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Chef Alina’s health journey and what led her to change course and go gluten-free
• How she navigated the challenges of learning to bake again without gluten
• Her experiences competing on Food Network shows and running her own bakery
• The inspiration behind creating her thriving online gluten-free baking community
• The gluten-free flours she says every gluten-free home baker should have in their pantry

Plus, we cover some fun rapid-fire questions, including her go-to potluck dessert, the most underrated gluten-free ingredient, and the one skill she wishes she were better at.

About the Guest:

Learn more about Chef Alina on her website, chefalina.com

Join Chef Alina’s free gluten-free baking group on Facebook

Check out Chef Alina’s Online Courses & Bootcamp

Follow Chef Alina on social media:

• Instagram @chefalinae
• Facebook @chefalinae
• YouTube @chefalinae
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alina-eisenhauer-75444729/

About the Host:

Jenny Finke is the host of Gluten Free Unwrapped. She’s a longtime blogger at Good For You Gluten Free and founder of the popular gluten-free subscription boxes, Love Me Gluten Free.

You can follow Jenny on Instagram at @goodforyouglutenfree or subscribe to her newsletter at welcome.goodforyouglutenfree.com.

You can snag a Love Me Gluten Free subscription box at lovemeglutenfree.com and follow on Instagram (@lovemeglutenfree) or Facebook (@lovemeglutenfreebox).