Gluten-Free≠Dessert Free
Rule-Breaking Bakers
By Rebecca Kim
A new wave of pastry buffs are defying the basic principles of baking by omitting flour but creating scrumptious desserts and savory dishes that would tempt anyone, though were specifically designed to sate those hindered by celiac disease. Although they share the common denominator of providing gluten-free goods, they come from different walks of life and are traveling myriad paths on the road to success.
Free For All Cupcakes (Photography by Kate Bohler)
Free For All Cupcakes
Two sisters, one belief—everyone has a right to a delicious cupcake regardless of allergies or physiological intolerance. That’s what Jeanny Lee and Janice Kim, both lawyers, had in mind when they launched Free for All Cupcakes in 2008. The name reflects that cupcakes should be “free” of unwanted ingredients for everyone. They got the ball rolling by catering children’s birthday parties but have since graduated to being the featured attraction at cultural celebrations, bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings, and have also donated to different charity events. Their scrupulousness with protocol (plus the delightful taste of the cupcakes) is what has kept their customers coming back for more.
Choices by Shawn
Though she is bound by no dietary restrictions, chef/restaurateur Shawn Warner has made it her personal mission to showcase all manner of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan dishes, both savory and sweet. “A little boy came into the restaurant and hadn’t eaten food from a restaurant in eight years,” Warner says. He was gluten-intolerant and had never been able to eat out his entire life. At Choices he was stunned by the selection of savory dishes and supreme desserts available for him.
Triple Oaks Bakery
Imagine being a pastry chef at a restaurant but never being able to sample your own creations because you suffer from celiac disease. Brooke Parkhurst had to rely on the other chefs in the kitchen to taste her pastries and tell her if adjustments were needed. She now bakes her own gluten-free goods to sell. “The cook books were so bad,” she says of the lackluster guidance she encountered in the early days. “They overcompensate so much, and the stuff you buy is expensive and very dry.” Parkhurst’s goodies have since become staples at local retailers such as Natural Market Place, Main Street Bakery and Cupcake Heaven.
Sweetz Bakery
Trang Bowers, a former CPA, turned her weekend passion for baking into a full-time gig. She bakes in her home kitchen and brings the cupcakes fresh every day to her mid-mall kiosk. Why a kiosk? “The kiosk is good because the lease is short-term, and there is a low-cost entry,” she explains. The mall is the last place one might think to look for allergy-specific sweets, but gluten-intolerant cupcake aficionados know they can get their fix at Dulles Town Center.
Hungry for more? The story continues at www.northernvirginiamag.com/gfbakers
(May 2011)