Mother of child with celiac disease creates business, cookbook

By THERESA HOGUE

Gazette-Times reporter

For the first 18 months of Lexie Carlyle-Gauthier's life, she was a profoundly unhappy baby. She screamed. She was bloated. She threw up constantly, and mysterious open sores appeared on her body. Her mother, Rachel, was at her wit's end as Lexie's trips to the doctor brought no diagnosis.

But finally a friend suggested that Lexie get tested for celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes an intolerance to gluten, which is found in grains and is a common ingredient added to many processed foods.

Sure enough, Lexie tested positive. Within two weeks of a radical change in her diet, the baby finally was gaining weight, feeling good and acting like a happy baby. Now she is nearly 4, and her mother has launched her own homegrown business dedicated to serving families with children just like Lexie.

On Friday, Rachel Carlyle-Gauthier is coming to Corvallis to share her new gluten-free cookbook and her gluten-free flour blend products with others.

One out of every 133 people has celiac disease, and many more have at least some form of gluten-intolerance (some doctors suggest one in seven people is gluten-sensitive). The market for gluten-free products is already well-established in Corvallis, with the strictly gluten-free Living Earth Bakery. Nearly 20 restaurants offer gluten-free dishes in town.

Carlyle-Gauthier, who lives in Polson, Mont., with her family, had barely heard of gluten intolerance until Lexie was diagnosed, but she had to educate herself quickly when she realized gluten was harming her child. She said she didn't realize how many foods contain gluten, ranging from obvious products such as bread to unexpected gluten sources, such as canned chili.

"There are so many hidden ingredients," she said.

Living gluten free is hard, especially in a convenience-based world, Carlyle-Gauthier said. It forces families to forgo almost all processed foods and cook from scratch. As the mom of three children (two of whom can eat gluten with no problem), she had to make a choice: Either cook two different ways to accommodate her family's needs or create a menu based on Lexie's needs that the whole family could enjoy.

At first Carlyle-Gauthier tried using gluten-free products already on the market, but she was unhappy with the quality, and her family didn't like the taste. So using her cooking background, she started creating her own recipes and, eventually, making her own gluten-free products, including almond- and coconut-blend flours.

Now her own cookbook and her products are sold online under the business name "Gluten Free Mama." She has put aside her home-based preschool and is now dedicating her time to her new business.

The decision to become a gluten-free household has now made her an advocate for those with Celiac disease, as well as children with autism, who often are gluten- and lactose-intolerant.

"I'm doing my dream job now," she said. "The recipes are not exotic, they're just things that people will actually eat, so that people don't have to make two different meals (for the family)."

She's getting ready to introduce two new products to her line soon, a pancake mix and a pizza crust mix, which will both be available online.

Carlyle-Gauthier will hold a Gluten Free Mama Cookbook signing at the First Alternative Co-Op at 1007 S.E. Third St. at 4 p.m. Friday. She also will bring samples of some of her recipes, and her gluten-free flour blend products will be available for sale.

For more information, see www.glutenfreemama.com. For more information on celiac disease, see www.celiac.org.