Portland’s Gluten-Free Crave Bake Shop to Compete on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars Tonight!

Gourmet gluten-free baker Kyra Bussanich is getting some sweet national TV face time this week.The Portland woman, owner of the custom order operation Crave Bake Shop, will compete on the holiday-themed season premiere of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars 9 pm Tuesday, Dec. 7.

The former Clarklewis pastry chef says she switched to a gluten-free diet after being diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder more than a decade ago. She’s the first completely gluten-free baker to ever compete on the show. She can’t reveal details on how she tempted the judges, but she does hint that she was “inspired by some of [her] favorite holiday party drinks.”

Want to taste test yourself? Come hang out with the Crave crew at Champions Sports Bar for a Cupcake Wars viewing party Tuesday night (see details below) or place an order at cravebakeshop.com. You may have more options come next year. Bussanich is looking at possible retail spaces and even thinking of launching Crave grocery store dry mixes in 2011.

Here are the details:

The Cupcake Wars episode, titled “Tree-Lighting,” will air on the Food Network at 9 pm PST, December 7, 2010. To celebrate, Crave Bake Shop will be having a viewing party at Champions Sports Bar located at 1401 Southwest Naito Parkway, Portland, OR 97201 from 8:30 to 10:30.

If you’re in Portland: stop by, watch the show, and try free samples of gluten-free cupcakes.  If not, cheer them on on Food Network!