Meet Karen Russell. Karen is well known to many who love Gluten Free Yummies!  Her tasty treats have become favorites of our community!

Q: What inspired you to do what you do? 

A: I am a creator of delicious gluten-free products, savory and sweet bread. I went gluten and dairy-free 15 years ago because of health issues, and, at that time, there weren’t very many good-tasting things. I’m also a nutritionist and health coach, so I was alarmed at how much sugar was in certain things. I’m also a foodie. I love food, so I had to create products that were healthier but also tasted delicious. That spurred me on to keep creating.

Q: You have a shop here in Sedona, right?

A: I’m in the Harkins Theatre Plaza right next to Interdependence Natural Foods. We’d been there since the end of September. I extended my business during COVID time. Karen’s gluten-free living is the name of my product, but Karen’s Gluten-free Bakeshop is the name of my bakery. We make delicious cupcakes and donuts, and now we’re making pizza, quiche, and sandwiches. We also have drinks, coffee, tea, and dairy-free milkshakes. I created an environment where people could have fun, relax, enjoy a treat and feel well after.

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Sedona?  

A: It will be nine years in July. I love Sedona. I love the way I feel here. I love being in nature, I love the weather, and I love the energy here. The first day I moved here, I felt like I was home. So maybe I lived in Sedona in a past life. There’s something that called me here.

Q: What is the one trait you consider essential to your success?

A: Persistence, integrity, creativity, loving food, loving people, and want people to be healthy and feel good.

Q: What keeps you motivated? 

A: What keeps me going is when I see people who are happy that I am here. Or seeing a little child come in with a smile on their face because they love what I have. One lady from Brooklyn came into the store and said, ‘I’ve been following you on Instagram, and I had to visit Karen’s Bakeshop. I’m so happy that I’m here. That response keeps me going because it is a lot of work.

Q:  How much help do you have?

A: Right now, I have five people. It’s been challenging finding the right people, but we’re building our team right now. I’m hoping to find a kitchen manager, so I’m not working so much.

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Sedona?

A: I would have to say, Terrie Frankel. She was my neighbor for so long, and I was amazed she was one of the Doublemint Twins. I was born in the fifties, so I remember the Doublemint Twins. Everything about her is unique.

Q: What advice would you give to others?

A: The most important message that I think people need to know what is in the food you eat. So, whatever you’re buying or eating, please pay attention to the ingredients, because it’s making all the difference in the world.

Q: What is something on your bucket list?

A: One thing I just did in 2019 was going to Japan. I was born there, and that was the first thing on my bucket list. I want to travel more, not extensively but to see some new places.

Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in Sedona?

A: I like The Vault a lot. I can find things easier there, and it’s a little easier to get in there. I like good Mexican food, but I haven’t found a place that I can say I love other than the fajitas at Javelina Cantina. Those are pretty good, and I love a good margarita.

Q: What is your favorite music?

A: At the bakeshop, we put different music on. We were listening to Worldbeat, but I also liked the Bubblegum music from the 60s. The happy, fun, upbeat music, the twist, and different things like that. Also, 70s music, the classics. I still like those, and I never get tired of them.

Q: If you could choose anyone, who would you have lunch with and why? 

A: Maybe Mother Teresa or someone funny because I love comedy like Will Ferrell or Seinfield.

Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about Sedona?

A: I would say the energy here, and that’s what I’ve noticed when I first moved here. It took me a while to adjust to it. Things here blossom and happen for you. I wasn’t used to that. I love that about Sedona besides the view and the weather and everything else.

Q: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?

A: I think of my family, my sisters, my brothers, my kids, my grandkids, and my childhood home in Ohio, where we used to make homemade pizza every Saturday. Also, I’m going to be a great-grandma. My grandson is having a baby in November. I found out just a few weeks ago.

Q:  When friends or family come to visit, where do you take them?

A: My family, my kids, just came to visit me recently – the weekend before Mother’s day. I did a pink Jeep tour for the first time in my life with them. We went to Broken Arrow. My granddaughter loved it, and she said it was the best thing ever, and now she wants to be a Pink Jeep driver. Also, we went hiking, but we didn’t go to the popular hikes because of the crowds, so we went to Sugarloaf, which is by my house, and we could walk to it. I also take people to Tlaquepaque, show them something in the Canyon, or we used to stop at Indian Gardens. Dry Creek Road towards Enchantment, and all the good spots like Cathedral or to see the Chapel.

Q:  Is there anything I have left out, or you’d like somebody to know?

A: If you have a dream and you are persistent, you can make it come true. You have to hang in there.