Entrepreneur Beats Life-Changing Diagnosis While CreatingOne-of-a-Kind Cookie Business
ALTOONA, PA – When Maryann Cook was diagnosed with celiac more than a decade ago, she never dreamed it would become the catalyst for an international business.
A craving for her favorite cookie, she no longer could consume – an Italian pizzella – prompted Cook to use her last remaining dollars and purchase some eggs, flour and sugar. Once Cook poured the batter into a pizzelle maker, her kitchen was wafting with the childhood scent of the flat, flavorful delights she and her mother once made side-by-side.
Because of her celiac disease, an immune disorder in which people can’t eat wheat gluten because it will damage their small intestine, Cook tweaked the recipe. Instead of wheat flour, she experimented with her own flour to create gluten-free pizzelles. “And, that’s how my business began... Read More