ABOUT
2GOOD2B is the realized dream of Diana Benedek and Mike Barbanti and their love of delicious food, family, friends and community. They stubbornly believe that eating gluten-free does not mean living a tasteless life. 2GOOD2B is their way of sharing their health journey and giving back to their community in a delicious way.
A self-described foodie and addict of the Food Network, Mike Barbanti developed his passion for food as a teenager cooking out of his mom's kitchen. In 2007, Mike discovered he had Celiac Disease and you might as well have told him he was dying a slow and painful death. "Eating the gluten free products that were available kept me from getting sick, but I was making my family and friends sick because I was complaining so much. Something had to change."
So Mike searched and researched, and did some more searching (he's a little OCD) and headed into the kitchen to bake his buns off. "I was determined to bake a gluten free cake that Everyone would love." Through much trial and error and many culinary disasters using his partner as a food taster/guinea pig, Mike was finally ready for his friends to try a lemon layer cake he felt could hold its own against a cake made with wheat. "The true test would be to show up at a party and not tell anyone it was a wheat-free cake. My friends can eat wheat and some of them are food snobs, and ALL of them are critics, so I knew I'd get honest feedback. I believed this cake was good, really good, but I never expected to hear things like 'this is the best lemon cake I've ever had,' and 'I don't really like lemon cake, but this is excellent." When his carrot cake got the same response at a Thanksgiving dinner, Mike had a "aha" moment and realized he was onto something.
In 2009, Mike followed his passion and started an on-line business: 2GOOD2B…gluten-free. He did it in his spare-time and what started as something small, rapidly became the number one gluten-free website in San Diego. Orders were coming faster than he could bake. Through 2GOOD2B…gluten-free, Mike sold his amazing cakes and cupcakes and over the years developed some signature deserts that were purely irresistible.
Mike continues to channel his obsession with both savory and sweet confections by serving 100% gluten free foods for the masses at 2GOOD2B Bakery & Café which he opened in Encinitas, CA with business partner and former 2GOOD2B client Diana Benedek. "We'll NEVER introduce a product that ONLY people forced to eat gluten free will tolerate. Whether it's a loaf of artisan bread, a quiche or toasted coconut cake everything has to be excellent by anyone's standards. Our name isn't "Kinda Good" or "Sorta Good." It's "2GOOD2B" and the name says it all."
So Mike searched and researched, and did some more searching (he's a little OCD) and headed into the kitchen to bake his buns off. "I was determined to bake a gluten free cake that Everyone would love." Through much trial and error and many culinary disasters using his partner as a food taster/guinea pig, Mike was finally ready for his friends to try a lemon layer cake he felt could hold its own against a cake made with wheat. "The true test would be to show up at a party and not tell anyone it was a wheat-free cake. My friends can eat wheat and some of them are food snobs, and ALL of them are critics, so I knew I'd get honest feedback. I believed this cake was good, really good, but I never expected to hear things like 'this is the best lemon cake I've ever had,' and 'I don't really like lemon cake, but this is excellent." When his carrot cake got the same response at a Thanksgiving dinner, Mike had a "aha" moment and realized he was onto something.
In 2009, Mike followed his passion and started an on-line business: 2GOOD2B…gluten-free. He did it in his spare-time and what started as something small, rapidly became the number one gluten-free website in San Diego. Orders were coming faster than he could bake. Through 2GOOD2B…gluten-free, Mike sold his amazing cakes and cupcakes and over the years developed some signature deserts that were purely irresistible.
Mike continues to channel his obsession with both savory and sweet confections by serving 100% gluten free foods for the masses at 2GOOD2B Bakery & Café which he opened in Encinitas, CA with business partner and former 2GOOD2B client Diana Benedek. "We'll NEVER introduce a product that ONLY people forced to eat gluten free will tolerate. Whether it's a loaf of artisan bread, a quiche or toasted coconut cake everything has to be excellent by anyone's standards. Our name isn't "Kinda Good" or "Sorta Good." It's "2GOOD2B" and the name says it all."
Diana was born in Brazil but has lived a large part of her life in Europe and in Quebec, where she acquired her "European" taste for food and her love for bread, especially for the crispy French baguettes.
Diana has studied at McGill University in Microbiology and Immunology and obtained a PhD in Environmental Engineering. After her studies she had a successful international career in Water/Wastewater treatment at SNC-Lavalin and at ZENON Environmental Inc. Although today she is a Director of Alternative Energy Companies in Germany, Canada and the US, she is most passionate about her new venture in 2GOOD2B, a Gluten-free bakery serving delicious food made from the finest ingredients. 2GOOD2B's motto "Food for Everyone" insures that every fresh baked confection is 100% gluten, corn, soy* and peanut-free and customers can special order egg and dairy free items as well.
Diana's driving interest in 2GOOD2B stems from her long and painful journey towards the gluten-free world. She was diagnosed with Fibro-Myalgia, herniated cervical disks, early Hashimoto (dysfunctional thyroid) and arthritis and was considering surgery to get relief from her back pains and headaches.
Diana found that eliminating gluten, corn and soy from her diet was all she needed to feel healthy again and was able to avoid surgery and painkillers. Finding acceptable commercially available gluten-free products became a challenge. First the taste and texture of baked goods were not acceptable to anyone in the family and also most of these gluten-free products contain corn and soy two other known allergens. Her love of cooking and baking lead her to develop a rosemary bread that everyone liked more than conventional bread, and her whole family happily converted to gluten-free. However her dream of baking a crispy baguette was not yet fulfilled!
Diana crossed paths with Mike Barbanti and 2GOOD2b… gluten-free, when she needed a cake for her son and was amazed by what he could do to a gluten-free cake but even more by how much her non-gluten guests loved the cake. Then she tried the cupcakes and she got hooked.
Less than 8 months later, Mike and Diana joined forces opening the first 2GOOD2B Café and Bakery in Encinitas. In this amazing allergen-friendly place you can find deserts, pizzas, quiches, loafs of white, whole grain and Rosemary bread AND Diana's dream, Baguette!!! Crispy and delicious, just like the one she ate in Paris.
* Attention; Our chocolate contains soy–lecithin. However, no other soy products are used in our baked goods.
Diana has studied at McGill University in Microbiology and Immunology and obtained a PhD in Environmental Engineering. After her studies she had a successful international career in Water/Wastewater treatment at SNC-Lavalin and at ZENON Environmental Inc. Although today she is a Director of Alternative Energy Companies in Germany, Canada and the US, she is most passionate about her new venture in 2GOOD2B, a Gluten-free bakery serving delicious food made from the finest ingredients. 2GOOD2B's motto "Food for Everyone" insures that every fresh baked confection is 100% gluten, corn, soy* and peanut-free and customers can special order egg and dairy free items as well.
Diana's driving interest in 2GOOD2B stems from her long and painful journey towards the gluten-free world. She was diagnosed with Fibro-Myalgia, herniated cervical disks, early Hashimoto (dysfunctional thyroid) and arthritis and was considering surgery to get relief from her back pains and headaches.
Diana found that eliminating gluten, corn and soy from her diet was all she needed to feel healthy again and was able to avoid surgery and painkillers. Finding acceptable commercially available gluten-free products became a challenge. First the taste and texture of baked goods were not acceptable to anyone in the family and also most of these gluten-free products contain corn and soy two other known allergens. Her love of cooking and baking lead her to develop a rosemary bread that everyone liked more than conventional bread, and her whole family happily converted to gluten-free. However her dream of baking a crispy baguette was not yet fulfilled!
Diana crossed paths with Mike Barbanti and 2GOOD2b… gluten-free, when she needed a cake for her son and was amazed by what he could do to a gluten-free cake but even more by how much her non-gluten guests loved the cake. Then she tried the cupcakes and she got hooked.
Less than 8 months later, Mike and Diana joined forces opening the first 2GOOD2B Café and Bakery in Encinitas. In this amazing allergen-friendly place you can find deserts, pizzas, quiches, loafs of white, whole grain and Rosemary bread AND Diana's dream, Baguette!!! Crispy and delicious, just like the one she ate in Paris.
* Attention; Our chocolate contains soy–lecithin. However, no other soy products are used in our baked goods.
