Celebrating 25 Years of Cambrooke: A Legacy of ‘living without limits ’
Back in the 20th century, the year 2000 was often seen as a symbol of the future, a milestone that sparked big dreams and wild predictions about what was to come. While we didn’t end up with flying cars or robot maids, something far more meaningful took shape that year for those living with medical dietary needs. In 2000, Cambrooke was born, not as a product of science fiction, but as a real solution for real people, offering hope, nourishment, and a better quality of life through therapeutic nutrition.
Our story began with two parents, Lynn and David Paolella, whose children were diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU). David, an architect, and Lynn, a jeweler, had been dedicated advocates for the PKU community since 1992. Their unwavering commitment to the metabolic community ultimately led Lynn to become a founding member of the New England Connection for PKU and Allied Disorders (NECPAD) alongside a group of dedicated mothers and clinicians. Throughout the years, David remained a steadfast supporter and contributor to the organization’s mission and events. What began as a deeply personal endeavor became a testament to their lasting devotion and enduring advocacy.
The gut punch that inspired the birth of Cambrooke
Fast forward to 1999, during a second-grade open house at school for their son Cameron. The emotional weight of PKU truly struck Lynn and David when parents were invited to locate their child’s mobile in a classroom art display. Lynn’s gaze landed on a mobile that read, “I’M HUNGRY”! She instantly recognized it as Cameron’s, and the message hit her like a gut-punch.
That moment was a defining turning point for the Paolella's, sparking a powerful sense of purpose and the beginnings of a business built to support not only Cameron and his sister Brooke, but countless others living with PKU and related metabolic conditions.
So Lynn transformed her passion for crafting low-protein foods into a bold new vision by learning how to scale her recipes for larger-scale production through her test kitchen and outsourced lab. At the same time, David concentrated on building a solid business plan and finding the right space to bring their dream to life. They were driven by the belief that families like theirs deserved the chance not just to cope, but to truly thrive.
Lynn and David’s dedication culminated in 2000 with the launch of Cambrooke Foods, a small, family-run company based in Natick, Massachusetts. Cambrooke started with a small team, a big dream, and a mission to make daily nutrition feel normal (not medicinal) for those who needed it most.
Our former logo was inspired by Cameron’s mobile
Innovating bread without flour, cheese without milk, eggs without protein
Our first focus as a newly-formed company was on creating low-protein foods, aiming to ease the burden on the parents of children with PKU, and adults living with PKU who had to prepare every meal from scratch. Our product line grew to include everything from breads, baked goods, fresh-filled pastas, to meat alternatives, cheeses, snacks, and more, addressing a wide range of diet-managed metabolic disorders.
We make bread without flour, cheese without milk, and meat and egg substitutes without protein. But for individuals with inborn errors of protein metabolism, managing their condition requires more than simply avoiding protein. Their bodies still need protein, just not certain amino acids that can be harmful.
So our Cambrooke team began developing flavorful, ready-to-drink amino acid formulas tailored to meet these specific needs. In fact, our journey of innovation eventually led to a groundbreaking collaboration with scientists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. This partnership resulted in our development of Glytactin with glycomacropeptide or ‘GMP’, a innovative protein source derived from whey. Later, Tylactin for people with tyrosinemia offered an effective alternative to traditional amino acid formulas. And were the world’s first products of their kind.
Just add water and the might of Ajinomoto
From our humble beginnings, Cambrooke quickly evolved, and as we expanded our offerings, the company adopted a new name, Cambrooke Therapeutics, to better reflect its growing range of specialized medical nutrition products. What started as a passion project grew into a leader in the field of medical nutrition, expanding its reach beyond North America to markets in Europe and Australia.
In 2017, Cambrooke became part of the Ajinomoto family, a milestone that expanded our global footprint and strengthened our commitment to scientific innovation. Lynn continues to lead with purpose, playing a hands-on role in development, and advocating for patients, while David lends his experience and vision as a member of the board. For 25-years, Cambrooke has walked alongside its customers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. An enduring testament to the trust we’ve built and the difference we’ve made in their lives.
Looking back over the past 25 years, we want you to know that our mission was never just about low protein food and formulas. It was about what those products made possible. It was about the children who could finally eat lunch with their classmates because of Cambrooke’s School Lunch Program. It was about giving families peace of mind, and helping individuals feel not just nourished, but seen, included, and empowered. And it was about dignity, confidence, and the small, everyday moments where people with special dietary needs could feel normal.
This wonderful line captures the heart of what we’ve always been. For 25 years, we’ve worked to remove limits, addressing not just the medical conditions but the ways they can restrict lives. It’s a legacy of impact.
25 years later, we are still delivering on our lasting mission: living without limits
That’s why, in this milestone year, Cambrooke is proud to recommit to the values that have been part of our company since the year we were born: specifically,
living without limits .
This wonderful concept captures the heart of what we’ve always been about, supporting people with medical conditions and helping them live life to the fullest. Our goal remains to help remove barriers, addressing not just the medical conditions but the way they can restrict lives, maintaining a legacy of impact.
To our team at Ajinomoto Cambrooke “living without limits" is our call-to-action for the future: we will continue to innovate without limits, just as we’ve done for the past 25 years. We’ll keep dreaming, creating, and breaking down barriers because at Cambrooke, living without limits isn’t just a promise to our community, it’s a challenge to all of our employees to never stop reimagining what’s possible.
Here’s to 25 years! And too many more years of helping people live without limits.
With gratitude,
Ajinomoto Cambrooke, Inc.
