Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef

by Shauna James Ahern and Daniel Ahern John Wiley and Sons, 288 pp., $29.95

A compendium of innovative gluten-free recipes interwoven with a real-life love story, this cookbook combines all the elements of love and romance with learning to live a gluten-free life. It was practically written to order for the gluten-free Valentine’s Day gift market!

Shauna James (otherwise known as “Gluten-Free Girl” on her nationally popular blog: www.glutenfreegirl.com) met and fell in love with chef Danny Ahern, who subsequently converted his entire restaurant to gluten-free status so that his true love could eat there. He taught himself how to create completely gluten-free cuisine, and she learned the techniques and attitudes necessary to make chef-driven cuisine at home. Together they wrote this cookbook – named one of the best of 2010 by The New York Times – full of memorable stories and vignettes, combined with the recipes they used to woo each other during their courtship.

It’s an ambitious book, and it might be initially a little intimidating in scope; the recipes for the most part are for restaurant-quality fare. But one idea shines out very brightly: Just because you must eat a gluten-free diet, that’s no excuse for letting yourself feel deprived, ever. Instead, the authors take you on a giddy journey of discovery, embracing an entire world of food that the gluten-intolerant can enjoy. Rather than focusing on what you can’t have, this book turns the focus to all the wonderful flavors that are just waiting to be discovered. And if you chose to woo someone with it – so much the better!

This article appears in February 11 • 2011.

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Kate Thornberry worked in renowned Austin restaurants for 30 years while pursuing a reasonably successful career in music. She began contributing to the Chronicle in 1988 and became a regular contributor to the food section in 2006.