food
CLEAN TREATS the Muscle Bakery takeover
I
I’d never eaten and slowly trying to be mand for her treats has soared and resulthealthier. I was always following fad diets ed in a host of marvelous collaborations and exciting new projects, including and knew they weren’t working. having her products stocked by local “I looked at I started a blog called Elke Loves. I realised I enjoyed the cooking eateries, self-publishing her first myself in and baking side of the process hardcopy book, hosting a baking the mirror the most and from there, I took workshop in London and, in the very and thought my food to the gym and to work imminent future, breaking ground ‘I don’t on a property from which to and my friends suggested that I want to be started to sell some of it. At that take orders, bake up a storm Her niche is The Muscle Bakery is a brand like this’...” point I re-branded and it’s just and invite newcomers in thirty-year-old Elke dreamed up recreating grown from there. It started via when her penchant for cooking the delicious to see what all the hype is Facebook, and once I got an order for a about. healthy versions of her favourite tastes of cake and that was it.’ The Muscle Bakery’s treats caught on across the Rock. everyone’s Facebook page now has an impressive We’ve previously discussed the A terrible relationship with food favourite following of over 4,000, and the website healthy and clean eating trend chocolate receives regular visits from the UK and US. that has engulfed society more Opening up to me about how it all brands... Initially though, the brand grew slowly. Elke recently and Elke’s story very started, Elke explains that she once much ties into that. Her niche, had a terrible relationship with food, struggled to take big orders, having started with limited funds and ingredients. ‘I’m however, is being able to recreate the and her own self image, ‘I’d just accepted lucky that in Gibraltar people will trust you, delicious tastes of everyone’s favourite that it was the way I was meant to look because they know you, and the customer chocolate brands, from Maltesers, to Mars and feel, and then one day, I looked at base has been incredible. It’s through them Bars, Twix and Bounty, but without the use myself in the mirror and thought “I don’t I’ve been able to grown and learn about of additives, preservatives, refined sugar or want to be like this” and that shifted what everyone wants. I started out just any other unnatural ingredients. The deme. I started slowly incorporating foods t’s February, and that means you’re already a month into your New Year transformation, if you made it this far. How about we make the process more pleasant for you? Once you finish reading this, make your way online to themusclebakery.com, headed by keen fitness fiend, and lover of sweet treats Elke Hurtado.
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2016
83