Rare Treats started with a promise. A promise from a mom crushed by her son's disappointment at not being able to enjoy the delicious treats served at a birthday party.  A promise that mom would make something he would enjoy...and that it would look and taste so amazing,

everyone else would want it too.  

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In July 2019, our oldest son Logan was diagnosed with a rare gastrointestinal disease called Eosiniphilic Esophagitis (EoE).  After dealing with months of random vomiting and cries of "My stomach hurts," we were convinced he was experiencing way more than a stomach bug. A gastroenterologist decided that an endoscopy might help us understand what was going on.  Just five years old at the time, the scope and biopsies found damage to his esophagus and too many white blood cells.  Described as similar to an allergy, or asthma of the esophagus, the doctors told us the first step would be to eliminate an allergen group from his diet, starting with dairy.   

 

Agreeing to anything that might help our son feel better, we had no idea how difficult this journey with food restriction would be.  It meant changing the way we shopped and where we shopped for food, reading every single food label that came into our house, explaining at restaurants that when we said no milk it also meant no butter or cheese, bringing our own food to friends houses and birthday parties to make sure Logan had food to eat, and saying no to things that we used to say yes to.  For a while, there were no more visits to the ice cream shop, the pizzeria, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds and so many other places.  Although we could find something safe to eat, the disappointment on his face when he could no longer have what he wanted left all of us defeated. 

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And so our journey to forming Rare Treats began.  As a family, we spent hours finding non-dairy alternatives and realized that there are great options...and we were glad it was the 2020s and not the late '90s (we can only imagine just how tough it was for families then).  We bought every variety of milk, yogurt, cheese and butter that we could find and tried adjusting our usual recipes with the new ingredients.  Then in 2020, when preparing for my niece's 2nd birthday party, I offered to bring a treat...and that was the first time the Rare Treats custom decorated sugar cookie was baked! 

The feedback was incredible - no one realized it was a dairy-free cookie (the plant butter I chose was amazing!) - and Logan's smile was the biggest it had been since his diagnosis. 

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Since those first cookies in Summer 2020, I've perfected the recipe and continue working on my craft - now using new styles and techniques with each order.  Some cookie designs are inspired by previous cookiers before me and some are completely my artistic side coming out!  The best part is helping Logan feel empowered - by persevering, we found a way to make enjoyable foods that he can eat and he doesn't have to be defeated by his food restriction.  

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Now that The Rare Treats Baking Company is a registered home kitchen in Malverne, NY and an LLC, Logan is officially a "Cookie Boss" and we have great plans for our business.  Through our site, customers local to us in New York can order our sugar cookies and other treats, but soon we will be sharing digital materials to help empower other kids (and adults too) with food restrictions.  Keep following our site for updates!