To Be Gluten Free
Homemade gluten free baking.
Created by Zoe Malin
Created by Zoe Malin
To Be Gluten Free is a featured vendor at various events on Long Island and at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. I bake for fundraisers and donate desserts to charitable events as well.
To inquire about To Be Gluten Free selling goods at an event or donating baked goods for a fundraiser, email zoe.tobeglutenfree@gmail.com.
AMASE — Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education — provides weekly music and art lessons for children with disabilities. I bake cupcakes for AMASE’s events, like seasonal musical recitals and theatrical performances.
In March 2019, I baked 200 vegan and gluten free brownies for Northwestern University's Dance Marathon. NUDM is one of the largest independent student-run philanthropies in the nation, and is a 30 hour long event. Participants raise money for a specific benefactor, 2019’s being Communities in Schools of Chicago. Thirty hours of dancing makes for hungry students, so throughout NUDM, dancers snack on goodies donated by local vendors. To Be Gluten Free made sure dancers with food allergies got their fair share of sweet treats, too. Huge thank you to Tynan Friend and Nicole Bankoski for asking me to be a part of NUDM in the sweetest way possible! And thank you to The Daily Northwestern for interviewing me for this article.
For an event leading up to Northwestern University’s Dance Marathon in December 2018, I baked sugar cookies that students from Chicago’s elementary, middle and high schools decorated. Communities in Schools of Chicago was the NUDM benefactor during the 2018-2019 school year, and Northwestern University students raised money for this incredible organization all year long.
Catnip is a sketch show that operates under Northwestern University’s News Network. The group specializes in unscripted, variety and entertainment content. I had the pleasure of working with the Catnip team for their video, “Catnip in the Kitchen” in November 2018. Check it out HERE.
Love Your Neighbor Project (LYNP) is a non-profit organization that was founded during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization provides resources, services, and opportunities to neighbors in need by partnering with local businesses. This simultaneously reinvigorates the hyper-local Sea Cliff economy, connects neighbors together, and creates long-lasting relationships. During August 2020, To Be Gluten Free hosted a virtual bake sale to raise money for LYNP. The money To Be Gluten Free raised helped the organization further its projects, which include COVID-19 response, throwing birthday parties for those facing financial hardships, creating affordable activities families can do together, and more. In total, To Be Gluten Free raised $500 for LYNP.
Bakers Against Racism is a virtual bake sale that raises money to support organizations working to end systemic racism and the unjust treatment of Black individuals. To Be Gluten Free joined chefs and home cooks across the world to participate in Bakers Against Racism’s first virtual bake sale in June 2020. I sold cookies, brownies and donuts to my local community and donated all the profits to Black Mamas Matter. Black Mamas Matter is a Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance that advocates for Black mothers, drives research, builds power, and works to shift culture for Black maternal health, rights, and justice. In total, To Be Gluten Free raised $700 for Black Mamas Matter.
During the coronavirus pandemic, a group of Long Island moms began a Facebook group called “Meals for Glen Cove Hospital and Support Professionals.” The group raised money to purchase lunch and dinner for medical workers in Glen Cove Hospital’s COVID unit everyday. Food was catered from small, independently owned eateries, which supported local Long Island businesses during the pandemic. On Mother’s Day, To Be Gluten Free was asked to bake 300 desserts for Glen Cove Hospital doctors and nurses, as well as aids at the Cerebral Palsy Center in Bayville. I made crumb cake and chocolate chip cookies for those who couldn’t be with their children on Mother’s Day because they were treating COVID patients.
To Be Gluten Free was a vendor at the Sea Cliff Farmer’s Market during the summer of 2017 and 2018. Every Saturday from June thru September, I sold individually packaged goodies like cookies, mini loaves, donuts and muffins to customers.
On the first Sunday of October, Kiwanis International sponsors the Village of Sea Cliff's annual Mini Mart. Vendors line the streets of Sea Cliff and local artisans from across Long Island show off their products. To Be Gluten Free was a vendor at Mini Mart in 2016 and 2017.
I volunteer at Cove Animal Rescue in Glen Cove, New York. Each year, the shelter hosts a gala to raise money and thank their supporters. The night ends with an auction, and To Be Gluten Free donates a basket to be raffled off each year.
To Be Gluten Free was a featured vendor at Art in Motion in April 2017 and the First City Market in November 2017. Both events were held at Glen Cove’s First City Project. To Be Gluten Free loved being a vendor at this fantastic pop-up art gallery and market.
