We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Stern-Enzi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was unexpectedly diagnosed with late onset adult Type 1 Diabetes in April 2018 and knew I had to figure out how to cook and bake in a way that still brought pleasure and satisfaction but was also safe in terms of managing this chronic illness. I immediately began researching and learning more about Type 1 diabetes and how food, ingredients and macros impact blood sugar. I soon discovered that there was a gap in the Cincinnati market for more wholesome, quality diabetic desserts that didn’t use highly processed ingredients, dyes or chemicals, so I quickly realized that I not only wanted to apply this way of baking to my own life but offer it for others as well. Then a year later, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is also an autoimmune disease. And a year after that, I was diagnosed with peptic ulcers. So, more research ensued and I switched my own diet, away from a high fat/low carb way of eating to a more plant based diet to help heal my gut, increase fiber and eat more of the foods that I loved and missed while eating a low carb diet. The bakery, which began as an exclusive keto/low carb bakery, has since evolved into a more inclusive specialty bakery. We still offer keto baked goods, but have also added in gluten/dairy free and some vegan bakes as well. And most of what we do is refined sugar free as well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a speciality bakery, we work with customers on an individual basis depending on their dietary needs and restrictions. We have had requests for gluten, dairy, refined sugar, corn, soy, nut free baked goods so we really do our best to work with everyone. It’s challenging for people to find bakeries that cater to those with dietary restrictions and especially those who have multiple restrictions so we are so happy to be able to make someone’s celebration or event something that they too can enjoy and be a part of.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a 43 year old woman whose whole life pretty much revolved around food and cooking and baking, it was quite a rude awakening being diagnosed with multiple diseases that greatly impact this aspect of your life. Initially, I thought I’d have to stop eating many (most) of the foods I loved. I did have to adapt and find alternatives, but overall, I am still enjoying many of the foods I used to enjoy, and ironically, the diagnoses have made me so much more aware of my own body and health and I feel that I am healthier now than I was pre-diabetes.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot many times. The bakery is a side passion for me and I also have a full time career as a Speech-Language Pathologist. I also recently decided to go to Culinary School to earn a Pastry Arts Certificate so I am busy! I’ve had to pivot in terms of the kinds of offerings I provide based on my own dietary adventures and evolution but also based on customer demand. And then I’ve also had to pivot in terms of where I sell my baked goods, whether or not I have a set menu or not and what sort of model I want for my business. Because this is not my main source of income and I never wanted the bakery to become a chore or feel uninspired, I have been able to do things on my own terms. I rarely make the same items twice and really commit to the creative process. Once I become bored and overwhelmed then that is evident in the products I sell so I always make sure to remember my mission, which is to provide quality, wholesome, well thought out and made specialty baked goods that are just as good as their traditional counterpart.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondgrainbakery/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063470713913