Having been diagnosed at the tender age of three with celiac disease, Derek Dowd grew up without all the goodies children enjoy—the birthday cakes, the cookies and brownies, even bread and macaroni—because they all contain wheat gluten, a protein that makes bread rise and cakes fluffy. Later, he recalls “in the 70s and 80s, there was a limited amount of gluten-free products, and most of the gluten-free products weren’t very good.”

While in college, Dowd discovered chestnut flour, a favored artisanal staple in Northern Italy, “No one else was doing anything with chestnut flour in the gluten-free world,” he says, and what’s more, he discovered that baked goods with chestnut flour tasted delicious! From that discovery, Dowd & Rogers was born, launching their first product, Italian chestnut flour in 2002.

Focused on flavor, moistness, and nutrition, Dowd & Rogers then developed three cake mixes—Dark Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate and Golden Lemon to satisfy the needs of little children and adults everywhere.

More recent introductions are the new Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix and the California Almond Flour, soon to be followed by other delectable baking mixes. All the Dowd & Rogers products are lab tested gluten-free, but you don’t have to be gluten-intolerant to enjoy them.  Now, everyone can have their cake and eat it too!

See the online Dowd and Rogers® catalog.