Saratoga Gluten-Free Goods
Good gluten-free grub can be hard to find. Ask anyone with celiac disease and you’ll certainly hear how rare it can be to find a place that’s entirely gluten-free, a place where it’s safe to sit down and enjoy.
With celiac, a serious genetic autoimmune disorder estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide, ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It can be nerve-wracking to eat anywhere other than home, since even when there are gluten-free options, the fear of cross-contamination is real.
Thank goodness there are places like Saratoga Gluten-Free Goods. Located at 176 Broad Street in the Capital Region’s friendly town of Schuylerville, a sign on the front door signals “No Gluten Allowed!” Step inside for cinnamon buns iced to perfection, massive chocolate brownies, moist banana bread and cherry tarts topped with whipped cream. The room is warm and welcoming. Large windows let in a nourishing supply of sunshine. Take your treats to go or stay awhile to relax and enjoy them. There is always something new to try.
“It is important to have a gluten-free bakery to serve the growing market of diagnosed celiac customers and gluten-intolerant individuals,” says co-owner MaryAnna O’Donnell. “We are also noticing a growth of customers advised to temporarily or permanently change their diet to gluten-free to reduce inflammation related to autoimmune diseases and Lyme disease and those in need of vegan and gluten-free diets due to diagnosed egg and dairy allergies.”
O’Donnell, who has been living with celiac since her diagnosis in 1998, says there is now a fairly reliable blood test to diagnose the disease, hence a growing following and awareness. There’s also more anecdotal evidence that individuals with inflammation feel better on a gluten-free diet.
The business began modestly in 2008 when O’Donnell and Jeanne Daley started selling goods out of the back of their vehicles at the Gansevoort Farmers’ Market. Daley had developed her recipes in an effort to provide favorites for her father who has the autoimmune disease. The ladies also teamed with O’Donnell’s husband, Scott Averill, and her son, Robert Averill.
They expanded to offer some products in health food stores, grocery stores and restaurants in the Capital District, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Queensbury and Syracuse, but by October 2016, customer demand had prompted them to open a physical storefront where they could be creative and offer greater variety of products. Selecting the quaint-but-growing village of Schuylerville was a no-brainer. “Schuylerville is a historical town that deserves to have businesses invest in its future,” Averill says. “We hope that we can positively contribute to any coming growth.”
Ten years in, the team is still working to create and perfect recipes. “Some like the Multigrain Bread Blend took almost a whole year,” says Averill, explaining how difficult it can be to give a bread product its expected texture.
There are two aspects of the business that O’Donnell loves the most: the community of Schuylerville and the customers. “We appreciate not only their kind words and enthusiasm [but also] the constructive criticism and menu suggestions,” she says. “It allows us to improve our products to meet their needs.”
For Averill it’s the “endless amounts of chocolate and working with family and friends.”
Saratoga Gluten-Free Goods | @saratogagfgoods
Gansevoort Farmers’ Market
