Raise your hand if you grew up loving mac and cheese — only to suddenly be unable to eat it once you went gluten-free.🙋🏾‍♀️

Same.

Today I’m chatting with Sarita Ekya, founder of S’MAC, the iconic New York City mac and cheese restaurant that has become a go-to for the gluten-free and allergy-friendly communities.

In this episode, we talk about what it actually takes to make gluten-free comfort food taste just as good as the version you grew up with.

We also discuss:
• How endless mac-and-cheese taste-testing led to Sarita developing her own gluten allergy
• Why removing all-purpose flour from their recipes required her engineering degree
• The surprising challenge of creating a vegan cheese that people actually want to eat
• Why the celiac community gives the most meaningful feedback
• The deeper mission behind building a restaurant where everyone can eat
• And the most underrated ingredient in any mac and cheese

This episode is especially for women navigating gluten-free or gut-friendly living who still want comfort food that actually tastes good.

If you’ve ever missed the foods you grew up with — or wondered whether gluten-free versions could ever live up to the original — this conversation is for you.

If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with a fellow gluten-free, gut-friendly friend.

Now, without further ado — grab a seat, and let’s Eat With Dominique.

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💌 If you’re navigating gluten-free or gut-friendly living, the Eat With Dominique newsletter is where everything connects — early access to full recipes, practical gut-health tips, community polls, and exclusive brand codes.
Join here:
www.EatWithDominique.com

Watch more Eat With Dominique podcast episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/@eatwithdominique

Follow Dominique:
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🎧 Listen on Apple & Spotify:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598088

This podcast is all about actionable tips, trustworthy brands, and real strategies to make gluten-free, gut-friendly living easier, tastier, and pain-free.

So whether it’s life or food — make it Good To You, Good For You, and Good With You™.

Sarita Ekya Photo in Thumbnail by Matt Petres, IG @matt.petres                                                           

#glutenfree #founderstory #celiacawareness #womeninbusiness #foodentrepreneurship

What if one seed could help ease digestive struggles — and it’s been hiding in plain sight this whole time?

In this episode of Eat With Dominique, I sit down with Arif Khan and Sabeen Hasan, the founders of Chikka Chikka — the roasted fennel seed digestive redefining gluten-free gut health and digestion.

As children of immigrants from India and Pakistan raised in the U.S., Arif and Sabeen grew up between Eastern food traditions and Western ingredients — which ultimately inspired their product.

Their fennel snack pairs a traditional digestive ingredient with maple syrup, bridging cultures in a gut-friendly way.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How women’s guts change as we get older — and how fennel can help
• The digestive science behind fennel (antacid, anti-inflammatory, fiber source) and why people are using it for acid reflux and digestion support
• And why they refused to turn their product into just another sugary snack

Because so many foods marketed as “healthy” are still mostly sugar.

And sometimes the most powerful ingredients have been right in front of us all along.

If you deal with gut sensitivity, digestive issues, or food triggers, this conversation is for you. If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with a fellow gluten-free, gut-friendly friend. 

Now, without further ado — grab a seat, and let’s Eat With Dominique.

🧡Bonus for listeners: code EATWITHDOMINIQUE for 15% off entire order chikkachikka.com/EATWITHDOMINIQUE (Minimum $20 purchase required.)

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                                                                                                                                                           💌If you’re navigating gluten-free or gut-friendly living, the Eat With Dominique newsletter is where everything connects — delicious full recipes, practical gut-health tips, community polls, and exclusive brand codes. Join here: www.EatWithDominique.com

🎙️Watch more Eat With Dominique podcast episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@EatWithDominique

Follow Dominique on Instagram: instagram.com/eatwithdominique 

And TikTok: tiktok.com/@eatwith_dominique                                                               

🎧Listen to the podcast on Apple & Spotify here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598088

This podcast is all about actionable tips, trustworthy brands, and real strategies to make gluten-free, gut-friendly living easier, tastier, and pain-free.

So whether it’s life or food — make it Good To You, Good For You, and Good With You™.

I’ll see you soon.

23 years with gut issues. 
One cookie that tasted like wax.

In this episode of Eat With Dominique, I sit down with Lisa Marsh, the founder of Ms. P’s Gluten Free, to talk about the long road that led her to build a granola brand rooted in health, flavor, and community.

For decades, Lisa lived with digestive issues doctors couldn’t fully explain. She was told she had a “spastic colon” at 19 — but it wasn’t until she was 42 that she was finally diagnosed with a gluten-related issue.

But when she tried going gluten-free, the next challenge appeared immediately: the food.

One of the first gluten-free cookies she tried tasted, in her words, like hot wax.

Yikes.

Instead of settling for gluten-free food that didn’t taste good, she started baking — determined to prove that gluten-free could be both healthy and delicious.

In this conversation, we talk about:
• Living 23 years with undiagnosed gut issues
• The moment she realized gluten might be the problem
• Building Ms. P’s Gluten Free while staying connected to her South Side of Chicago community
• And why she refused to bring gluten-free food to coworkers if it tasted like “dog food”

Lisa also shares advice for anyone navigating a gluten-free diagnosis and learning how to advocate for their health.

If you’ve ever struggled with gut issues, wondered whether gluten might be affecting you, or wished gluten-free food actually tasted good — this conversation is for you — especially the Black women navigating symptoms that doctors sometimes overlook.

If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with a fellow gluten-free, gut-friendly friend.

You can also check out Ms. P’s Gluten Free — including their special 3 for $29.98 granola deal — at MsPsGlutenFree.com.

Now, without further ado — grab a seat, and let’s Eat With Dominique.
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                                                                                                                                                           💌If you’re navigating gluten-free or gut-friendly living, the Eat With Dominique newsletter is where everything connects — early access to full recipes, practical gut-health tips, community polls, and exclusive brand codes. Join here: www.EatWithDominique.com

🎙️Watch more Eat With Dominique podcast episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@EatWithDominique

🫶🏾Follow Dominique on Instagram: instagram.com/eatwithdominique 
And TikTok: tiktok.com/@eatwith_dominique      
                                                         
🎧Listen to the podcast on Apple & Spotify here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598088

This podcast is all about actionable tips, trustworthy brands, and real strategies to make gluten-free, gut-friendly living easier, tastier, and pain-free.

So whether it’s life or food — make it Good To You, Good For You, and Good With You™.

I’ll see you soon.

Gluten-free bagels… that actually taste like bagels? 🥯 You’re going to want to hear this.

In this episode of Eat With Dominique, I’m talking with Michelle Carfagno, founder of The Greater Knead — the brand redefining gluten-free bagels and soft pretzels for the allergy-friendly community.

We break down:
 • The celiac diagnoses in her family that changed everything
 • Why she committed to being completely top-9 allergen free
 • What most people don’t understand about allergen-free manufacturing
 • How building for allergies builds real community
 • Why giving up gluten doesn’t mean giving up joy
 • And the possibility of donuts x The Greater Knead — because some rituals are worth keeping 🍩

This episode is especially for women navigating celiac disease, food allergies, gluten sensitivity, or “mystery stomach pain.”

If you’ve ever felt like going gluten-free meant losing part of your identity — this conversation is for you.

And of course, because you’re part of this community — I had to get you a little something.

Use eatwithdominique15 for 15% off your order at:
https://www.thegreaterknead.com

If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with a fellow gluten-free, gut-friendly friend.

Now, without further ado — grab a seat, and let’s Eat With Dominique.

____________________________________

If you’re navigating gluten-free or gut-friendly living, the Eat With Dominique newsletter is where everything connects — early access to full recipes, practical gut-health tips, community polls, and exclusive brand codes. Join here: www.EatWithDominique.com

Watch more Eat With Dominique podcast episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@EatWithDominique

Follow Dominique on Instagram: instagram.com/eatwithdominique 

And TikTok: tiktok.com/@eatwith_dominique

This podcast is all about actionable tips, trustworthy brands, and real strategies to make gluten-free, gut-friendly living easier, tastier, and pain-free.

So whether it’s life or food — make it good to you, good for you, and good with you.

I’ll see you soon.

Pesto… on a pear? 🍐🌿

Stay with me.

In this episode of Eat With Dominique, I’m talking with Kaureen Randhawa, founder of Besto — the OG nut-free pesto.

We break down:
 • Why most store-bought pesto doesn’t actually taste fresh — and the high-heat “kill step” that quietly changes everything
 • The allergy story that sparked Besto
 • Why Besto is made with just 9 real ingredients
 • Why clean labels can actually taste better
 • How gut health changes the way you shop — and cook at home
 • Creative — and surprisingly addictive — ways to use pesto

If you’ve ever missed out on a food because of nuts, gluten, or “mystery stomach pain”… this conversation is for you.

And yes — we get into the pear pairing.

If this episode resonates, subscribe and share it with a fellow gluten-free, gut-friendly friend. And don’t forget — you can snag 10% off your first Besto order at EatBesto.com.

Now, without further ado — grab a seat, and let’s Eat With Dominique.

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                                                                                                                                                                                 If you’re navigating gluten-free or gut-friendly living, the Eat With Dominique newsletter is where everything connects — early access to full recipes, practical gut-health tips, community polls, and exclusive brand codes. Join here: www.EatWithDominique.com

Watch more Eat With Dominique podcast episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@EatWithDominique

Follow Dominique on Instagram: instagram.com/eatwithdominique 

And TikTok: tiktok.com/@eatwith_dominique

This podcast is all about actionable tips, trustworthy brands, and real strategies to make gluten-free, gut-friendly living easier, tastier, and pain-free.

So whether it’s life or food — make it good to you, good for you, and good with you.

I’ll see you soon.