COVER STORY
G rowing up, Nubian Simmons grew accustomed to eating fruit for des- sert. Her family would enjoy brownies a la mode or crème brulee, while she would eat orange slices. Simmons has severe food allergies that often leave her with limited options, especially when it comes to desserts. And while, the disappointment of not knowing what a chocolatey brownie tastes like bothered her, what bothered her more was the sense of exclusion that came along with this experience. While her loved ones would all enjoy the same dessert together, she always had to have something different. “I felt like something was wrong with me because, you know, anytime it came to any type of dessert, I always had to have something different, you know, and you internalize that,” Simmons said. Part of the problem was that there wasn’t much out there, in terms of aller- gy-friendly desserts. And the products that did exist, were, quite frankly, not enjoy- able, according to Simmons. Allergen-free baked goods haven’t exactly gotten the reputation of being particu- larly tasty, and they can be difficult to execute as so many ingredients used in baking are filled with allergens. It can be difficult to find a baking recipe that doesn’t include eggs or milk, for instance. “There were a lot of things at the time that tasted like cardboard. And so, I really felt like it was more of a punishment to eat than it was an enjoyable experience,” said Simmons. “And so, for years I just sat in that space.” Fast forward a few years and Simmons was well established in her field of graphic design, but the frustration at the lack of available allergen-free desserts and baked goods continued to weigh on her. The frustration was felt not only for herself but for the other people out there who struggle to find quality food due to their allergies. She began to feel this desire to help those people have access to the desserts she never was able to enjoy growing up. It wasn’t until about ten years ago as Simmons was continuing to become frus- trated with the lack of allergy-friendly desserts, both in grocery stores and at food- service operations, when things started to change for her. This is when Simmons decided to completely pivot her career and address this problem herself. Despite having no experience in the foodservice industry and with baking not necessarily being one of her strongest skills, Simmons began the process of trying to create desserts and baked goods mixes that are free of the top 14 allergens. And this is how her company, The Pink Bakery, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was born. Developing the products was the first challenge. Simmons said it took her about five years to not only learn how to bake allergen-free products but also make sure she wasn’t compromising on taste or presentation. Simmons wanted her products to taste just like traditional baked goods and des- serts, that do include allergens. “I wanted to create a brownie that actually looks like a brownie, didn’t have weird textures, make sure it doesn’t taste like cardboard,” she said. “Something that actual-
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