Bring Me Some Cookies With Those Books

Lonny Ng is the founder of the just recently launched  San Francisco Bakeshop. The company’s mission is to offer delicious, high quality foods for everyone to enjoy, including millions of people with life threatening food allergies and those making conscious food choices.

Before we get into my feature interview with Lonny, here is a brief video on her baking prowess….

When I asked her to share more about the San Francisco Bakeshop story, here’s what she had to say: 

We make delicious food with simple, natural ingredients that bring people together. What makes our products special is our unique flour blend produced with the highest level of quality in a top 9 allergen free and gluten free facility. This allows hundreds of millions of people with life threatening food allergies to enjoy them with confidence.

Unlike gluten free or vegan, people with allergies usually don’t identify themselves as allergy free. It’s not a diet that’s trending, but there are more people with food allergies than you think. Research shows that about 12% of Americans are allergic to one of the top 9 food allergens compared to 7% with gluten sensitivity, 1% celiac, and 1% vegan.

Allergies can be very serious and may even result in death within minutes of consuming or coming into contact with an allergen. The quality of life for a person with food allergies is also greatly impacted from having limited food options. This occurs in the form of bullying, exclusion, and being labeled as difficult. Perhaps this is why it’s not talked about as much, creating a false lack of demand for allergen free foods

As a mom of a child with food allergies, discovering this was very heartbreaking. That’s why I decided to start the San Francisco Bakeshop when the timing was right. What started out as an idea to sell fresh baked cookies at the farmers market turned into an 18 month lesson in manufacturing due to stricter rules and regulations around allergen free products. It’s been a long and challenging journey but I’m proud that we stuck to our mission and are delivering the highest quality products that I feel good about giving to my own family. I take this responsibility very seriously.

Food is such an important part of happiness and connecting with others. It’s a privilege to be able to make an impact and bring people together.

How have books influenced you?

Books have a huge influence on my life. I love to learn and I believe that we gravitate towards what we need at a particular point in time. We were a poor immigrant family so the public library was my escape as a child. You could find me sitting on the floor in a cozy corner reading Ramona, Eloise, or Charlotte’s Web. Which completely explains who I am today. LOL

In what ways have your kids benefitted from reading?

I started reading to my kids every day since birth. I think that really helped them pick up reading and writing quickly in school. One of them even aspires to be a writer but he’s young so only time will tell.

We had a book shelf with mostly hand me down books that the kids would choose from every night. Books on repeat included:

- Goodnight Moon, Margaret wise Brown

- Are You My Mother, P. D. Eastman

- From there to here, and here to there, Dr. Seuss

But their favorite stories were the ones I made up on the spot.

What book genres resonate with you? 

Today, I gravitate more towards books around human behavior, religion, and Buddhism. I think it’s a sign of the times and chicken soup for the soul;-)

What books do you find yourself turning to time and time again? 

Books on repeat for me in recent years include:

Spiritual Growth

- The Holy Bible, King James Version

- The Alchemist, Paola Coelo

- Old Path White Elephant, Thich Nhat Hanh

Professional Growth

- Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill

- Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

- Ramping Your Brand, James F. Richardson