Ariana Bundy

Ariana Bundy is a French-trained chef, presenter and the author of Sweet Alternative, the first gluten, dairy and soy free dessert cookbook. Sweet Alternative was first published in 2005 by Conran-Octopus UK and made it's debut in the US in 2006 with rights sold to Whitecap Canada. It is now available globally in paperback by Conran-Octopus since August 2009.

Ariana trained in both French Patisserie and Cuisine at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu and Ecole Le Notre in France, before completing her training at the famous Fouchon Patisserie. Her technique and cooking principles are French regardless of what she may be preparing.

All the schooling and rigorous stages and crazy work hours were supposed to ensure that Ariana could make the foods she loved eating, so when she discovered an intolerance to dairy (cream, butter, cheese and her favourite dessert ice-cream), she was not going to let that stop her from creating pastries and desserts.

Around the same time Ariana's mother and brother discovered gluten/wheat intolerances, too. This is what then drove her to create "Sweet Alternative". The first dessert cookbook that is gluten, dairy and soy free. Now ice creams, cookies, classic cakes, truffles and mousses are back on the menu!

Ariana learned the business early watching her well-known restauranteur father run his classic French restaurant in Beverly Hills. She also was Head Pastry Chef for the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles, working with the top chefs and catering to Hollywood celebrities such as Madonna, Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks. Her honed skills from parties for MTV, the Oscars, and Vanity Fair to TV appearances on Taste on Sky TV and Good Food Live were the solid foundation she built on.

She has also given demos at Sur La Table in America, Divertimenti in London and Good Food & Wine Show in South Africa.

This helped her to envision the high quality of desserts she wished to create, which she tested on family and friends.

The proof as you say is in the pudding and is in the book, which is available globally in all good bookshops.

Ariana is fluent in French and Farsi and also holds a BA in International Marketing and Finance from the EBS in London.

She now lives between Dubai and Paris with her husband Paul and their son Dara. She is now working on her second book.