(gentle music) - I'm Cynthia Holmes, and I'm the founder of Ancient Grains Kitchen here in Poulsbo, Washington, the small little harbor town in Kitsap Peninsula.

(soft guitar music) Ancient Grains Kitchen Cookie Company really was born after my experience with having breast cancer, which was in 2009.

And I found out I had Celiac's.

I started eating gluten free, and I remember, specifically, I went to a coffee shop in Port Townson and got coffee and I bought a gluten-free cookie.

I actually had to spit it out into the garbage, 'cause it was so awful.

And it kind of made me mad.

It's like, "Oh man, am I gonna have to settle?"

I don't know, I just thought, "I'm gonna start a gluten-free cookie company."

It was almost like some signs from the universe that this was a good thing to do.

My sister called me one day and she said, "My friend Moira has just been diagnosed with exactly the same cancer as you."

(soft guitar music) One of the things, as I was going through that whole cancer journey, was I kind of put it out there.

Like, "Somebody else needs some encouragement through this."

And Moira happened to be one of those people that needed somebody to talk to.

And she was a graphic artist, and her thing was cartooning.

She brought this energy to the whole packaging, that is just what I wanted, this happy, make-you-smile kind of a thing.

And that was kind of one of the magic moments on that part of the journey.

If I had to only do one cookie and market it, it would be ginger smirk.

That's my magic cookie for several reasons.

First of all, because of its popularity, it's by far the most popular cookie.

And the following for it has been important to me, and also meaningful.

I started getting emails from people.

It took my breath away when I got the first one.

It was from a man who was taking his wife for cancer treatment.

And he said that they had a ginger smirk at the cafe, and it was one of the only things she could eat.

And it settled her stomach because the ginger.

Coming from a former cancer survivor, I just think that that's kind of a great way to help somebody else going through that.

Just a cookie, but if makes you feel better for just that second, then that's okay, you know?

Sometimes that's just living in that moment.

So in 2020, we added another type of gluten-free product.

A friend of mine and I partnered up, she sparked the idea of gluten-free dog treats.

The packaging is fun.

It's kind of whimsical, and it communicates a real positive energy.

Again, Moira, that was actually one of the last projects she ever did in her career, 'cause she passed away last April from cancer.

So that's wonderful to have that as part of kind of her legacy.

And then in 2021, my friend Karen and I purchased a local gluten-free granola company, Miracle Morsels, and it's growing like crazy.

We love all of our products, but here's some fun things that you can do with them, just to kind of jazz them up.

These are granola clusters.

I melted a cup of chocolate chips with a tablespoon of coconut oil.

And once that's all melted down, I just stirred in about a cup or a cup and a quarter of granola, and just made them into these little clusters of chocolate yumminess.

Another way that I've used granola is, just like you would make a Graham cracker crust, with melted butter and a little bit of sugar.

And then I did a no baked cheesecake.

So with the same cheesecake, all I did is I made an individual one, and I made the cookie fit in the bottom of this.

So you got this citrusy cookie with the cheesecake that has lemon in it.

And I'm just putting a little toasted coconut on the top for that.

Another way that you can use our cookies, is make ice cream sandwiches.

That's a really fun treat, a party thing you can do for kids or even grown up people.

I don't think I would've started a gluten-free cookie company if I hadn't had cancer.

I think if you look at any experience you have that is uncomfortable or wish you didn't have to go through it, there's always something wonderful you can glean from it.

It's just there for us to take, part of the magic in the universe - [Presenter] "Made There" is made possible by the generous support of viewers like you and Visit Kitsap Peninsula.

Thank you to "Made There" supporting sponsor, The Greater Kitsap Chamber.