Kyra Bussanich

Kyra Bussanich is the pastry chef and entrepreneur behind Kyra's Bake Shop located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Her bakery is exclusively gluten-free, winning awards and competitions-like the Food Network's Cupcake Wars-against traditional gluten-y bakeries. Kyra started her business after a debilitating autoimmune disease forced a choice: eliminate gluten and reduce the inflammation in her gut, or have surgery to remove portions of her intestines. For her, the choice was clear, though not easy. As a dedicated dessert lover, Kyra shed many tears over the prospect of only being able to eat the dry and tasteless gluten-free goodies that were available at the time. She determined to challenge the status quo, attending the Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program and figuring out how to apply classical French baking techniques to her extensive kitchen experimentation with alternative gluten-free flours. The result: her award-winning bakery just outside of Portland, Oregon with more than 125 varieties of treats, including prize-winning cinnamon rolls and cupcakes, pies, and scones, and simple cafe fare, like house-made soups, salads, and sandwiches. Since she opened the bakery in 2009, she has gained notice from Huffington Post, USA Today, The Today Show, Food and Wine Magazine, Redbook Magazine, Shape Magazine, and more. She operates and develops all the creative ideas for her bakery, speaks at many national and entrepreneurial conferences, and continues to expand her business by adding new locations, putting together her franchise package, and consulting with local restaurants to develop and expand their gluten-free dessert menus. Kyra's favorite part of the job is playing with textures and flavors, and developing exotic-yet-approachable pastries that delight everyone who eat them.