Name: Angela Wilcox.

City: Ventura.

Specialty: Entrees.

Secret: Flavor.

Mysterious disease: It was a bit curious, to say the least. Angela Wilcox lived with a mysterious illness that would flare up once or twice a month. But when her uncle was diagnosed with celiac disease a little over a year ago and she discovered the disease was genetic, Wilcox opted to be tested.

Not only did she test positive but so did her mother.

The main culprit of celiac disease is gluten, Wilcox said. "I was poisoning myself with the gluten in my small intestine."

So she started learning to prepare tasty gluten-free food to live a disease-free life.

It wasn't easy, as many commonly used products contain gluten, including ketchup, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and wheat flour.

Her all-time favorite food was chicken-fried steak, so she made a wheat-free version by using cornflakes as a coating.

"Special food": Wilcox has made gluten-free cuisine so delicious that her husband, Robert, and children, Tiffany, Bobby Jr. and T.J. — and even grandchildren Aidan, Olivia and Ethan — clamor for her "special food."

Wilcox's fried chicken has won people over, and now she has expanded her repertoire to include other dishes, including fried shrimp and tempura.

"When I finally found a way to get the bread crumbs to stick to chicken, I bought a deep fryer," she said. "It's easy and really yummy. My kids love this. Every time they come they ask for it."

As T.J. is in the Navy and stationed in the Middle East, Wilcox doesn't concern herself with sending him gluten-free food. Instead she opts for peanut butter cups and "regular" chocolate fudge, rare delicacies for a serviceman far from home and family.

T.J. returned to his San Diego home recently for the birth of his daughter, Caylei. When Caylei gets older, she will join her cousins "cooking with Grandma."

Simple blood test: One in 100 people has celiac disease, noted Wilcox, who has been working for Barber RV for the past 13 years.

Sometimes while developing a rapport with customers, Wilcox will tell them about her circuitous journey with celiac disease. So far two of her customers have tested positive for the disease.

All it takes is a simple blood test, Wilcox explained. "If you have it and change your diet, you can change your life."

Sometimes Robert surprises her with a gluten-free cake mix. Other times she will scour the Internet to find interesting items, like gluten-free lasagna. But one thing that truly perplexes her is how to make a fresh, gluten-free French roll.

"That's about the hardest thing," she said.

Other tasty treats are easier. On a recent morning, for instance, she decided to cook a corn tortilla in olive oil, adding meat, onions, bell peppers and balsamic vinegar, with a little cheese sprinkled on top. "That's the kind of cooking I do," she said. "Necessity is the mother of invention."

Angela's Home-Fried Chicken

2 organic eggs (whip up in a bowl)

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 cup organic gluten-free cornflakes (Nature's Path is a favorite brand)

1 cup gluten-free, all-purpose baking flour

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon red chili pepper

1 teaspoon curry

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Whip eggs; soak the thighs in the eggs for 30 minutes.

Take cornflakes and place them in a gallon-size, zippered plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin into small pieces.

Add flour, lemon pepper, kosher salt, red chili pepper, curry and garlic powder to the plastic bag. Mix all ingredients.

Preheat a deep fryer until it reaches 350 degrees. Take the chicken out of the egg mixture and place it in the bag with the other ingredients. Shake the bag until the chicken is thoroughly coated.

Using tongs, remove the pieces one at a time and place them in the basket of the deep fryer.

Cook for 5 minutes. Remove and serve.

— To nominate an amateur chef to be a Cook du Jour, send an e-mail to jprice@VenturaCountyStar.com.