Luane Kohnke has been an accomplished gourmet cookie baker for more than 20 years. She loves all kinds of cooking and baking. It is her belief that flavor and texture are the most important attributes of a good cookie. She enjoys researching new ideas and experimenting with new ingredients. Luane writes a blogs about cookie baking and two of her cookie recipes were featured in the 2009 holiday cookie section of the New York Times online edition. Her love for cookie baking began when she was nine years old, living on her familys farm in Wisconsin. She developed an interest in gluten-free baking about 15 years ago when the son of a friend was diagnosed with celiac disease. Luane obtained her culinary training at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City. She holds a BA in sociology and political science from Valparaiso University and pursued graduate studies at SUNY-Albany. In addition to being a cookbook author, she has managed marketing information and analysis functions at several financial services firms and advertising agencies in New York City."