Jan Howlin
Jan Howlin: writer, designer, ceramic artist, coeliac. (Coeliac? You always knew there was something peculiar about her…. )
Back in the eighties, after seeing doctors for years about digestive problems, Jan was diagnosed as a coeliac. This was both a relief and a shock because at that time coeliac disease and gluten-free food were virtually unknown. Eating out was fraught, and there were few specialty gluten-free products to buy. The only way to eat well was to cook.
Gluten-free products did gradually come onto the market – there was bread that doubled as building blocks, styrofoam crackers and other inedible offerings – but with the recent explosion of awareness in all things gluten-free, these products have improved a lot.
Back then Jan’s enthusiasm for cooking and entertaining spurred her on to try to make fresh, delicious, naturally gluten-free food that anyone she fed would be happy to eat. Long-time friends, Rosie and Caren took up the gluten-free challenge too, and with their collaboration Jan now believes her gluten-free diet is nothing less than health and happiness on a plate.
CAREN LOCKHART
Caren takes a keen interest in many things, including art, books and writing, mental health and bird-life, but she has always had a passion for good food and hospitality, which she pursued professionally.
For a long time she worked with high profile hospitality companies in prestigious venues, such as The Art Gallery of NSW and the Sydney Opera House, in both hands-on and management roles. She went on to establish her own consultancy, advising restaurants, cafes and caterers on menu and recipe development, product sourcing and staff issues. Along the way she did boardroom catering, restaurant reviewing and a lot of travelling to check out different cuisines and cultures around the world.
While these days Caren has other work commitments, she continues to indulge her enthusiasm for food in the domestic arena, creating simple, creative and delicious food, much of it gluten-free, for family and friends.
ROSIE HANLY-FINK
Ex-advertising industry head-hunter, mad cyclist, yoga devotee and seamstress extraordinaire (at one time she had her own fashion label with another of our dinner-gang friends, Stella) Rosie’s life-long passion has always been for cooking, sharing and eating wonderful food.
At one point she decided to follow that passion, which led to a stint in corporate catering, then to the launch of her own café and gourmet take-home food store, Fink’s Fabulous Food, which quickly established its place in the local food scene. For years Rosie had been experimenting with gluten-free food (for Jan) and when she added some of these delicious gluten-free options to the café menu their instant popularity told her there was a genuine need out there.
Rosie always believed gluten-free food should be great food, not just great for gluten-free. Her dedication to finding, researching and perfecting her recipes meant her reputation, especially for her gluten-free baking, cakes and sweet treats spread widely. Now all that expertise can be found right here – in DIY form.