When Orinthia Dade discovered she had gluten sensitivity, she didn’t mourn the bread. She mourned the memories. “It was the Sunday pancakes, the homemade mac and cheese, the flaky crust on my grandmother’s pies,” she says. “Those things weren’t just food—they were tradition.”
At first, she struggled. The gluten-free replacements she bought were expensive, dry, and frankly, disappointing. “It felt like I had lost not just texture, but comfort,” Orinthia says.
But she refused to let go of the foods that made her feel at home. So, she began reworking her favorite recipes, not by simply replacing ingredients one-to-one, but by reimagining the soul of the dish. Her mac and cheese became a creamy blend of rice noodles, nutritional yeast, and roasted butternut squash.
Pancakes made with oat flour and mashed banana brought the same weekend joy. And the pies? They came back with almond flour crusts and fillings so rich, her family never noticed the switch.
“I realized comfort food wasn’t about gluten,” she smiles. “It was about warmth, memory, and intention.”
Today, Orinthia shares her recipes with others navigating gluten-free life—not just to show them how, but to remind them they don’t have to lose their traditions in the process. “You can still taste home,” she says. “You just have to cook it a little differently.”
