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Welcome to Tartelette, a blog devoted to food photography, fresh seasonal ingredients and the simple things in life. I'm Helene, Senior Photographer at Oxmoor House, the cookbook division for Cooking Light magazine, Southern Living, Coastal magazine, and many other. A French expat, photographer, wife, dog lover, traveler, currently living in Birmingham, Alabama...! I started this blog in 2006, after I left a position as Pastry Chef of a French restaurant, unsure of what to do next. I just knew it would evolve around photography and food. And not only sweets! To get in touch: * Blog inquiries: mytartelette[at]gmail[dot]com - Please, ask to use my photographs before you go ahead and "borrow" one. I don't bite. It's just common courtesy. *Commercial inquiries: helene[at]helenedujardin[dot]com Twitter: @HeleneDujardin Instagram: Helene Dujardin Facebook page: Helene Dujardin Photography My photography portfolio can be viewed here: http://www.helenedujardin.com/ Why gluten free? In late 2008, I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease and was tested for several allergies at the same time. My neurologist is a young doctor always in tune with the latest research and we looked at the relationship between gluten, sodium, cholesterol and Meniere. While the research is still in its infancy with that disease, reducing gluten, sodium and bad cholesterol had positive effect on a lot of people affected by the disease. So I started paying attention to all three. That was easy. I wanted to get better and feel better and not feel like I was in a roller coaster a few days a week with vertigo plaguing me without warning, ringing and fullness of the ear, fog on the brain, etc... Over the years, I have found out that there is no formula to this condition. Unfortunately, I can be 100% gluten free, sodium free, bad cholesterol free, and still have one or two attacks in a month or eat some form of gluten once or twice a week and never have an episode. It's tiresome not to know but I do know that my body has a limit to how much it can handle gluten, sodium and high fatty foods. When my ears start getting full and ringing...that's when I have to back off. It's not always but it happens. Over the last year or so, I have noticed that it takes about 3 days with some form of gluten or high sodium intake every day for me to get a episode of Meniere's. So if I want to feel good and work, and laugh and live, I have to stay away from gluten, sodium and bad cholesterol as much as possible. It's not that hard really.... Helene Dujardin via Tartelette is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.