Hoffy's Heart is baking for cause
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Her passion for baking is helping people, one cupcake at a time.
A couple things you should know about Robin Hofmann is one, she love to bake, and two, she's good at it.
"Honestly, ever since I can remember, every time I bake, people are like, 'Oh, how's it going? How 'bout I come over and visit?'" she says with a laugh.
She also loves helping people with autism. This journey began when she a student at the University of Central Florida.
"The professor showed a video of a therapist working with an autistic child, and I was mesmerized," she said.
She immediately started helping them, professionally. Six years later, her daughter, Brooke, was born.
"She was actually diagnosed with autism," Hofmann explains.
So she redoubled her efforts to help.
"I love to try to meet people where they're at and try to figure out how we can move forward from there."'
Then 10 years ago, this woman who is so in love with cooking got very sick, diagnosed with Celiac disease. She had violent reactions to any food containing gluten.
"My thigh muscles would shake. The cramping would start, and I would be sick for days," she says. "It was easier to stay home and not risk getting that violently ill."
Like many people, her idea of gluten-free food was not good.
"Oh no! I am never gonna eat anything delicious again!"
But slowly, she developed gluten-free recipes for treats that actually taste good! Then came another decision.
"I wanna share those with other people."
And that was the beginning of "Hoffy's Heart," a bakery with good tasting, gluten-free food staffed by individuals with autism.
"I want people to see how functional, how capable and how important these individuals are," she says. "I wanna give them an opportunity to shine!"