Bee's Knees Bakeshop

Mother creates gluten- and dairy-free treats

Kecia Johndrow's idea to open Bee's Knees Bakeshop started close to home. When her son was diagnosed with food allergies nearly a decade ago, she started rethinking the way she baked and cooked.

"We found out he was gluten-intolerant and dairy-intolerant, so I started converting some of the old recipes that my grandmothers had done to incorporate the new flours and things we were having to use," she said. "I really wanted him to eat the same things I grew up on, and I didn't want him to have to feel different."

Bee's Knees opened in March 2011, serving exclusively gluten- and dairy-free goodies such as cookies, pies, brownies, breakfast tacos and sandwiches. In addition to a la carte foods, Johndrow draws much of her business from custom sculpted and fondant-covered birthday cakes.

"We want people to have the same kinds of cakes that people can get from other bakeries," she said. "Especially with kids, they want to feel special at their birthday party. They don't want to have a cake that none of the other kids want to eat, so it's really important for us to have recipes that other kids are going to enjoy as well."