By Bailey Arman, Associate Director of Communications
In the dense metropolis of Miami are three girls whose baked goods could help change the world. Emilia Rossi, Luciana (“Lulu”) Mattoli, and Raffaella Mattoli are the minds behind Glee!, a seasonal baking start-up that serves up delectable gluten-free (GF) treats for the residents of Dade County. But instead of pocketing the proceeds for a new phone or a trip to the movie theater, they’re donating the proceeds to Beyond Celiac and, ultimately, research for treatments for celiac disease.
We sat down with the girls to talk about why they founded Glee!, what they hope to accomplish with the project, and how other kids and teens can make a difference in their communities.
Many people diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that can only be treated with a gluten-free diet, agree that gluten-free baked goods often leave much to be desired when compared to their gluten-containing counterparts.
But Emilia and her neighbors, Lulu and Raffa, aren’t letting that stop them from baking delicious, gluten-free sweets for the people of Miami.
When I ask how Glee! (the clever combination of ‘gluten’ and ‘free’) began, the girls recount their origins collaboratively, each one jumping in after another to add a sentence.
Emilia, 14, with a small smile on her face, explains that she had baked for fun even before her diagnosis of celiac disease. Luciana, also 14, mentions that they only recently started taking orders from members of their community and selling the baked goods on their street corner. Raffa, Luciana’s 17-year-old-sister, says that they were able to expand into Christmas markets given the success of their initial sales. All of these efforts were supported by their parents, especially Laura, Emilia’s mother, who is also on our call, offering additional context.
To give more detail, Laura notes that after Emi’s diagnosis, her father was exploring the gluten-free market and reached out to a European manufacturing company that then sent over samples. Although he didn’t take the communication further, “the girls leveraged that prior work,” building off it to create their own recipes.
Laura also says that the girls took the lead after that initial push. “I was with them the first two weeks, training them in the kitchen on safe gluten-free baking and supervising them, but after that, I was hands-off. The girls are really the executors. They’re all driven, and they all have specific talents.”
Raffa follows this conversation thread, explaining that the girls gradually and naturally slid into their respective roles as the project evolved. Emilia, who enjoys hands-on work, is the lead baker. Luciana manages the creative side of things and, in Laura’s words, is “a natural salesperson.” Raffa, being the oldest, oversees the entire operation, including the finances and outreach.
Although they started baking for fun, the girls have developed valuable business skills in the process. Raffa says that through the experience, she “learned how to manage a small business” and even wants to pursue business or finance in college. “It’s way more complicated than I thought it would be, but I like it more than I thought I would.” With a laugh, she also notes that the experience helped them learn what they shouldn’t do.
For Emi, the experience also bolstered her independence. As someone with celiac disease, she shares that she has struggled with feeling excluded when everyone around her is eating foods that she can’t have. But Glee! has helped her realize that she “doesn’t have to just sit there and watch. What they’re eating doesn’t have to be my problem.” Instead, she can make her own delicious food—and make enough to share.
Raffa and Lulu nod along and add that they enjoyed learning how to bake, even if they don’t eat gluten-free. Emi’s eyes light up as she describes the methodical approach they used to develop the recipes, a dulce de leche sandwich cookie called alfajor. “It was so difficult to perfect because they would always crack,” she says about this particular type of cookie. “You would have to move them very delicately. It was a science to get it to work. We used an Excel spreadsheet to track the ingredients we used, whether or not they would be profitable to use, what worked best, if they were too moist or getting stuck on the pan.”
This hard work has clearly paid off, given their previous season’s success. So far, the trio has raised $1,000 for celiac disease research, which is critical, as celiac disease research is notably underfunded. Although it’s the only autoimmune disease with a known trigger—gluten—there are still gaps in our collective knowledge that Beyond Celiac and other research groups are working to bridge. Ultimately, we are working toward a treatment that is more accessible and less burdensome than the gluten-free diet, which can be expensive, tiresome, and ineffective.
But until we have additional treatments beyond the diet, it’s a wonderful thing to have companies like Glee! ensuring we have the tastiest (and safest!) options possible.
Glee! sells seasonally in the Miami area. For those that are local, follow Glee!’s Instagram, @gf_glee, for updates, product images, catalog and ways to contact the team to order or donate.
Not sure what to try? Emi recommends the muffins or pound cake (“it’s so moist!”), and Raffa seconds that, specifically the pound cake with chocolate chips. Lulu pivots, suggesting the alfajores, using Emi’s family recipe are the best. Laura clearly agrees, fist pumping when she hears Luciana’s answer.
Regardless of what you try, you can feel confident knowing that the money is going to a good cause and the sweets are yummy!
Those that aren’t local to Miami may just have to wait to try their treats until Glee! is a bit further along. The trio haven’t yet explored shipping and online retailers, but perhaps if sales continue to do well, they can investigate that option.
When I asked what’s next for the girls, they say that they will sell again during the holiday season, and that Emilia may start a club at her new high school to recruit more people to the cause. Raffa says that even if she moves away for university, she would continue to work on Glee!. “It really helped me grow, and I would like to stay involved.”
Throughout the conversation, Laura is emphatic that kids around the nation, even the globe, could set up similar operations in their own metros. She notes that while the Glee! girls “may not be able to raise one million alone, if kids all across the country raise one thousand dollars, too, imagine the impact.”
The crew also mentions that many customers, after hearing about the reason behind Glee!’s existence, wish to donate to the cause directly.
It’s clear that Emi, Lulu and Raffa aren’t simply baking—they are raising awareness for celiac disease, developing their independence, honing their business skills, and yes, even changing the world.
If you’d like to donate to the cause, visit the Glee! Funraise page. Visit the BeyondCeliac website to learn more about the gluten-free diet and gluten-free baking.
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