Hidden Gems: Meet Gina Di Tullio of Gina’s Kitchen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Di Tullio.

Hi Gina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
After years of struggling with my food allergies and trying to find quality products in stores and restaurants that were safe and tasty, I decided to try my hand at gluten, dairy, egg, and peanut-free baking. I discovered that it was such a different science that I had to relearn how to bake. I taught computer science in higher education and used my students as guinea pigs to help me test different flour blends, and finally, I came up with a great cookie.

From there, I moved on to granola and chocolate so that I had some options to help satisfy my sweet tooth. Soon after, a friend told me about the Cottage Food Act which allows the creation and selling of products in a home kitchen. I thought I would see if others liked the couple of items I had to offer and I opened a cottage bakery called Gina’s Kitchen Delights. (GKD). Four years later, I had expanded to 36 different products and GKD outgrew my house. Needless to say, I started my journey to find or create an allergen-free commercial kitchen so that I could more adequately grow my business. Finding that commercial kitchens, which support multiple food allergies, were, and still are, pretty much non-existent, I decided to build my own.

While researching what it would take to open a commercial kitchen, I decided that I wanted a small storefront as well so that I could sell my product in a retail environment, in addition to peer-to-peer and at food markets and festivals. As time went on, I also realized that I wanted to provide hot food and a restaurant that is safe for people with food sensitivities and alternative food diets. I had successfully catered and provided services as a personal chef for events, such as music soirees, weddings, as well as, retirement and graduation parties, where my recipes were very well received, and I thought that it would be nice to be able to offer hot food consistently to those in need of a safe space. This space came to be known as Gina’s Kitchen.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In 2019, I set out to find an adequate space for a brick and mortar and was, of course, fairly quickly shut down by COVID-19. I returned to the information technology workforce figuring that my new adventure would not come to be. At the beginning of 2020, a member of the city planning office of Aurora contacted me and asked me to consider joining the Parkside Eatery project.

After many months of planning, a couple of years of waiting for the new COVID-19 world to normalize, and for transportation and construction to functionally resume, Gina’s Kitchen, officially opened her doors in August of 2022 at the Parkside Eatery. About 2 weeks later, the apartment complex in the same parking lot as Gina’s Kitchen and other retail proprietors, was evacuated due to a construction explosion.

The residents of the apartment complex scattered to find new homes and the business tenants of the, barely budding, Parkside Eatery, including Gina’s Kitchen scrambled to find a new customer base.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m excited that, Gina’s Kitchen, just celebrated our first anniversary. My business is slowly growing and every day I feel grateful that I am still able to provide a safe environment for individuals with dietary restrictions. Gina’s Kitchen is a dedicated gluten, dairy, egg, and peanut-free bakery and light bistro. The biggest comment I get from customers, who are either vegan or who have food allergies or intolerances, is how excited they are when they see all of the options.

It is typical for people with food restrictions to have very limited, if not only one option when dining at most restaurants–which often coincides with anxiety and fear that education, safety, and allergen protocols are not in place or in practice. I often have to avoid restaurants due to my sensitivity and the potential for gluten, egg, dairy, or peanut cross-contamination. At Gina’s Kitchen, we make it our priority to ensure that there is something for everyone. If we don’t have it in the case, or if a customer has special restrictions, they can special order. So far, we have been able to accommodate 99% of the restrictions that we encounter.

At Gina’s, we are highly inclusive. We respect food intolerances, allergies, and dietary preferences and work hard to deliver our customers safely through their food experience. We offer delicious baked goods, as well as, sandwiches, prepared on homemade bread, fresh salads, homemade soups, and french fries, tots, or handmade pasta chips, smothered in homemade vegan or non-vegan chili.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t know that I believe in luck. I think that when I set myself on a path if it is a path that suits my purpose–or even if it doesn’t–I learn lessons from my experiences and alter my path based on what I have gleaned from those experiences.

I believe that to adapt and change is to grow to remain stagnant is to die (mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ginaskitchenparkside.com
• Instagram: @ginaskitchenparkside.com