Today I am happy to present you Fanny Biasini: Fanny is a talented gluten free French pastry chef, a passionate cook, a funny, smart young woman, a compassionate heart and a dear friend.
I love doing interviews as our stories can inspire others who are going through the same things that we are, facing the same challenges, fears and dreams.
Here it is a nice read to Fanny’s interview and how she transformed celiac disease into the most precious treasure of her life!
Chiara : Why gluten free?
Fanny : I was diagnosed with celiac disease when I was 25 years old; it wasn’t easy to find out and I did went to several doctors before understanding clearly what I was suffering from.
When I got the news, I completely changed my way of eating: my cupboards became full of new grains and ingredients. I went to all the organic stores I could find in town to buy gluten free flours that I didn’t know before. Little by little I started to develop new own gluten free recipes, and I began to make my own bread and pastries. Most of all, I started to discover a mindful and more authentic way of nourishing myself.
Chiara : If you are asked to describe yourself in five words, what would they be?
Fanny : Stubborn, determined, «gourmande», sweet, compassionate, I love sharing what I have learnt and know.
Chiara : You a a skilled gluten free French cook, how did you learn?
Fanny : I think that cooking, well, learn how to do it, it depends a lot on your family, what they taught you when you were little. I still remember having made tons of homemade fresh ravioli with my Italian great grandmother! Not to speak of her famous pastries called « escargots au sucre ».
I have always loved cooking since I was little: on Sundays I loved cooking for my family preparing a full meal like a restaurant would do. I was seven years old at the time and I enjoyed it a lot !
When I discovered I has celiac disease, I started to rediscover all of these family recipes. As an adult I decided to go to school to become a trained pastry chef, and got a diploma called « CAP pâtisserie » in 2015. I also worked in several restaurants. I learnt a lot from the chefs I worked with. Each one of them had his own trick and skill, observing them working was a great chance for me. I would love to thank all the chefs that welcomed me inside their world. My advice for anybody who would like to learn to cook gluten free would be to touch, smell, feel, experimenting absolutely everything and most of all have fun with it !
Also, something not to do when you start, it’s trying to imitate products with gluten… This is a mistake to avoid completely ! Like trying to do a classic French baguette: gluten and gluten free are different and have to stay so. It’s like wanting to find a French croissant in the middle of a Chinese town??! Gluten free is good but in a different way and we have to accept and cherish that.
As per my experience, going gluten free made me discover buckwheat and all the incredible, delicious foods I could do with it. Now I am a big fan of Soba-cha: a traditional Japanese drink made in the South of France. It goes beautifully with some French fries you can eat at Mareseille in front of the sea! You need to stay wide open and experience a new way of cooking even if it means says hello to certain traditional foods you were used to eat before. At the end you will see, there are great gluten free products and ingredients to enjoy that are incredibly delicious!
Chiara : What’s your favourite gluten free food?
Fanny : The French galette that my father in law makes for us, usually on a Sunday when we visit him in Saint-Malo. I also loved the clubs sandwiches at Fortnum & Mason in London and the kebab at Our in Paris, but as they use my bread recipe I am not impartial here 😉
Chiara : And your favourite restaurant?
Fanny : Without any doubt Thank you my Deer, in Paris. I know it is mainly a coffee shop but I love everything they do and the Sunday brunch is so good. They also bake their own gluten free bread and coffee is great too.
Chiara : What’s your next challenge?
Fanny : Create my blog where I can share my recipes but also thoughts about a more conscious way of eating, tips and tricks how to live gluten free and happy ! I don’t want to be passive about my healthy issues. I want to act, do thinks to make my life better and also those of the others who are confronted with the same challenges. Having celiac disease made me grow and made me become the woman I am today. I do believe that what we eat is the base of our culture and society. We eat three times per day and what we choose to eat can show about our beliefs, our political thoughts, and personal ones as well. I would love to talk about all of that while sharing my special recipes. I would also love to give cooking classes in Paris. I love meeting new people. I think that sharing knowledge is so great and I love that!
Chiara : Gluten free is…
Fanny : …. Open mind and adventure!
pS: To discover the delicious recipe that Fanny shared with Baci di Dama, click right here.
