More About Us

   I spent some time in the medical field for a little over 10 years in the areas of Transplant, Cardiology & General Medicine before I was called into the home to care for my growing family. My husband & I eventually ended up moving to Phoenix, Arizona where I began to homeschool my kids for about 5 years. During that time, the world shifted, and we pivoted along with it. We went through a global pandemic & the idea of “health” was to change forever. An opportunity presented itself to go to Culinary School, & I began.

   A Challah bread loaf was one of many baked goods we made & brought home whilst in baking class at the Arizona Culinary Institute. It was then that a hound dog named Gracie Mae ate the entire bread loaf in one sitting. It was also then that I developed a gluten-sensitivity. Gracie would later go on to become an important figure for Ćiao Hound, and I went down a rabbit hole searching for answers to why I developed a sensitivity and came out on the other side—at the world of gut health. It turned out, I made some very little guys unhappy with all the gluten-heavy foods we made in baking class.

   In my deep dive, I learned that the gut consists of an entire ecosystem (the microbiome) housing trillions of different micro-organisms (the microbiota) that function symbiotically with us & that they too, have specific needs. Because they play a crucial role in the metabolization of food, taking care of them means taking care of us. Alternatively, if we don’t take care of them, they can’t properly take care of us.
  Modern science now recognizes the vital role the gut & microbiome play in many different areas of health. These areas include immunity, mood, hormone production & nutrient absorption. The evidence is so strong, the microbiome is now being referred to as “the second brain”.
  Since that discovery, I have been a forever student of the microbiome & have made a shift in the way I practice healthcare from traditional western medicine to nutritional health & have adopted the “food as medicine” philosophy. It is the mission of Ćiao Hound to make sure everything we make is mindfully crafted to reflect our passion for gut health & that those little campers are happy! I always felt something missing was putting preventive health back into the person’s hands—or in this case, their bellies. We aim to spread knowledge to our friends at Ćiao Hound, & empower them to help keep our beloved proverbial “Gracie” at bay.  So say “Ćiao” to the inner Gracie, and hello to wise food & lifestyle choices!