Woman runs gluten-free bakery from Middletown home

“It started out with me just taking care of my family, and now I feel like I get to help take care of so many other people’s families,” Wagner said. “The bakery is literally taking over half the house right now.”

Using her own flour concoction, the local baker creates many crafty treats available for purchase and special order. From everyday flavored breads and muffins to cupcakes and special occasion cakes, Wagner’s gluten- and preservative-free products cater to everyone’s sweet tooth.

“Everyone needs some little treat in their life that they don’t have to worry about,” Wagner said. “Kids who eat my cakes can feel normal at their birthday parties … People allergic to gluten don’t have to feel so out of place.”

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have Celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye and barley. More than 2 million people in the United States have the disease, or about 1 in 133 people, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Wagner’s daughter, Brigitte Wagner, a self-proclaimed picky eater who has Celiac disease, said she has found it especially difficult to find enjoyable, gluten-free food.

“It’s a hard diet to live on,” Brigitte said. “My mom’s food tastes like normal food.”

Another loyal customer, LeAnne Bell of Centerville, said she has purchased food from Wagner since 2007 when she was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Bell said her favorite Sweet Treat products are the M&M cookies and blueberry muffins.

“Everything Tina’s got is just so real,” she said. “You can’t tell its gluten-free really.”

Although Tina is waiting to open a more permanent shop, currently her products are being sold at both Jungle Jim’s locations in Fairfield and Eastgate, Dorothy Lane Market and the Trophy Nut Company.

“Our goal is to get into a shop and expand. Eventually I want our cookies to be all over the place.”

For more information about Tina’s Sweet Treats, visit www.tinassweettreats.com or call 513-429-9428.