When Magdalen Catholic School third grade teacher Victoria Magwire isn’t feeding young minds, she spends a good batch of time in the kitchen baking.
Magwire is a two-time graduate of Newman University — first with her education degree in 2015, then her Master of Science in Education in 2018. She is excited to be back in the classroom for another semester of teaching while continuing a side hustle she loves.
The beginning of a business
Magwire has a gluten allergy. After years of altering recipes and adapting to a gluten-free diet, she thought it was likely that others with similar dietary restrictions could use her help.
“When I found out that I couldn’t have gluten anymore, I started experimenting because back then everything tasted awful,” said Magwire. “Now if you say gluten-free, people aren’t as shocked and they seem to be more prepared for you, but it’s still a struggle.”
Magwire was discouraged when she read ingredient lists on gluten-free products. With so many unfamiliar ingredients in grocery store products, she often hesitated to make a purchase.
Breads she tried often crumbled in her hands and the baked treats were bland and spongy. So she decided to do some research and try making some things on her own.
“Really, I just started playing in the kitchen, trying to find some sense of what I can eat that’s normal,” explained Magwire. “I wanted to make good bread. So it started with just bread. It was also during the beginning of COVID, so there wasn’t much else to do. I started experimenting and I was really impressed with myself.”
Just when she was finding her footing with that, her family went through a series of setbacks. One was happy news — the birth of their son — but then some hardships came their way.
“When my son was 3 weeks old, our 3-year-old daughter had a cancer diagnosis that wasn’t cancer. We thought that our son had hearing loss because he wasn’t passing all of his tests. My mom died. My husband had to have back surgery. All of these things happened and it just became a chore. (It was) just throw together what you can. I wasn’t having fun cooking anymore.”
But then as her children became older, Magwire found herself attending and throwing birthday parties. She always baked gluten-free cakes and cupcakes and the compliments poured in. Her friends began requesting her treats because they loved them so much.
Simply Baked by Victoria
When asked what her go-to flour is for baking, she said it depends on what she’s making but mostly uses her own blend — a mixture of different types of flour and a few other ingredients such as cornstarch or milk powder.
All the special requests led Magwire to start her own gluten-free business, which she named “Simply Baked by Victoria.”
“My whole thing is ingredient transparency and very simple things,” she said. “I want it to be as natural as possible so I use natural food color. And I can customize special requests like dairy free, nut free, soy free.”
Her products can be found at The COOP Cooperative Bakery & Coffee House locations in Derby, Kansas, and Wichita, Kansas. She bakes cookies, breads, cupcakes and more. Product selection will vary. She can also be found on Facebook at Simply Baked by Victoria.
“My main goal isn’t really to make money. It is to be able to provide people with gluten-free, yummy treats they can enjoy while knowing and trusting that it isn’t cross-contaminated. I find joy in helping others in that sense.”
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