When Valerie Van Gelderen started preparing gluten-free food, it was a matter of necessity.
Fifteen years later, her motivation is public service with a dash of entrepreneurial spirit.
Van Gelderen and her husband, Joe, recently opened Totally Gluten Free Bakery and Cafe at 5014 50th St. in Lacombe. True to its name, the business shuns the cereal grain proteins that are present in many foods.
A variety of gluten-free breads, buns, cookies, pies and other baked goods are prepared on site, as well as homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, breakfasts and other items. Freezer pack foods, cereals and other dried goods are also sold.
As far as Van Gelderen knows, Totally Gluten Free Bakery and Cafe is unique to Alberta.
“There are a few more bakeries, but there’s no other restaurant/café. I think Vancouver has one.”
Her interest in gluten-free food arose after her four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease — a digestive disorder that makes it difficult to digest food with gluten in it.
“She threw up, probably every single day of her life to that point.”
Van Gelderen learned to cater to her daughter’s dietary needs, modifying recipes by substituting gluten-free ingredients. And with six of her other eight children subsequently being found to have celiac disease, her specialized cooking skills expanded and improved.
“It got better as the years went on.”
Van Gelderen and her family have been selling gluten-free baked goods at local farmers’ markets the past few years. There, the popularity of their products and the urging of customers convinced them to set up shop at a permanent location.
Joe wanted a bakery, while she had an interest in a cafe — the result of operating a restaurant previously.
“I really enjoyed it.”
Totally Gluten Free Bakery and Cafe resulted.
Joe arrives at 4:30 a.m. to do the baking before leaving for his day job. Van Gelderen and one of their daughters arrive later to open the shop.
Feedback has been very positive, with many people with celiac disease relieved to find a safe place to eat and buy food. They’re often skeptical about anything labelled “gluten-free,” since even a gluten-free loaf of bread cut on the same counter as other bread could make them sick, said Van Gelderen.
“There’s always that niggling doubt. Is it really gluten free? Do these people know what they’re talking about?”
She’s seen products advertised as gluten-free that actually aren’t, and feels her family has much to offer.
“We have a lot of expertise and knowledge that we had to get into the market,” said Van Gelderen.
“We really feel that it’s a mission almost for our family.”
Totally Gluten Free Bakery and Cafe has been drawing customers from Lacombe and other Central Alberta communities. Van Gelderen estimates that about a third don’t have celiac disease, but prefer the food for other health reasons.
Some have even been referred by physicians.
Totally Gluten Free Bakery and Cafe will also cater to vegetarian and vegan diets, said Van Gelderen. It’s also peanut-free and can prepare food without dairy products or eggs.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Additional information can be found online at www.totallyglutenfree.ca or at the business’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Totally-Gluten-Free-Lacombe/108847729175873.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com