By Khalida Sarwari
Joel Rodriguez’s tall frame towered over a round chocolate cake in the kitchen at Gluten Free Gourmet, a mere hour after the late Friday afternoon rush had packed the brand-new bakery on Big Basin Way, clamoring for sandwiches, soups and baked goods.
To an unwitting observer, the cake Rodriguez was frosting looked like a run-of-the-mill dessert one would find at any bakery, except this cake had come with a special request: no dairy.
For Rodriguez, this was no problem. Since starting work at Gluten Free Gourmet in January, making sweet and savory foods for people with allergies has become a specialty for the young chef. And although he doesn’t have any allergies of his own, Rodriguez knows what a chocolate cake should taste like–in fact, that’s one reason why owner Dana Hoppe hired him.
Hoppe, who’s gluten-free herself, opened Gluten Free Gourmet in December with one simple mission: to offer products to people with dietary restrictions without sacrificing flavor. The recipes are all her own, collected and perfected over the span of more than a decade, long before gluten-free and vegan diets became a fad.
“We do our best to make things as good as we can,” said Hoppe. “We want you to be able to not taste the difference.”
The catalyst that inspired Hoppe to switch gears from tech to the food business was motherhood. Today, she’s a mother of two–a 10-year-old son, who also is gluten-free, and a 6-year-old daughter.
The concept for Gluten Free Gourmet has roots in Hoppe’s early attempts at creating recipes for her family and eventually sharing them with friends. It was out of necessity, she said, since the pickings were slim for the gluten-free community, which, incidentally, also includes her husband.
“The bread I ate back then was terrible; it was like cardboard,” she recalls.
Later, upon receiving encouragement from family and friends, Hoppe started selling her products at local farmers markets and then wholesale to restaurants. It soon became apparent she needed a retail space of her own.
She chose Saratoga not only because the location was ideal, but it was important to Hoppe to support her own community. She had the kitchen built from scratch to prevent any risk of cross-contamination and hired four chefs from the Art Institute of California in Sunnyvale to train in the skill of cooking and baking for people with food allergies.
Since its opening, business at Gluten Free Gourmet continues to boom as people find out about the cafe through social and traditional media; customers even come from neighboring cities, said Hoppe.
“People coming in are surprised at how good our food is,” she said. “We’re getting very positive feedback all around for our food.”
One reason, Rodriguez hinted, is that the cafe offers a segment of the population the opportunity to try foods they normally couldn’t have.
“A customer the other day said her daughter has never had a store-bought cake; every year for her birthday her mom has to make it,” said Rodriguez. “It’s that kind of customer that makes me happy to work here.”
The cafe primarily serves breakfast and lunch items, such as house-made soup and sandwiches with bread that’s made on site, as well as a variety of sweets, including custom cakes and pies for special occasions. Eventually, Hoppe plans to offer dinner items and wines.
Aside from gluten-free and organic items, the cafe also offers vegan and dairy and nut free options. While Hoppe and her chefs won’t ask customer about their food allergies, they are willing to support any dietary issues they may have.
Gluten Free Gourmet is open Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. The cafe is located on the former site of the Butter Paddle, 14510 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Call 408.898.3992 for questions and to place orders. For more information, visit gluten-free-gourmet.com.
