My son has celiac disease and we realized the places we frequent the most are either owned by someone with celiac or the owner has a family member with celiac. That way we know they “get it.” We know they understand cross-contamination and/or keep a 100 % gluten-free facility. Sans Gluten Artisan Bakery in Johnston, RI is one of those places. You know it is safe and even better, absolutely delicious!
They “get it.” The baker, Leah, is an internal medicine doctor and has celiac herself. Her two daughters have celiac disease and one has a tree nut allergy. The bakery is 100% gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free. Many treats can be made dairy free or vegan. They do not use any preservatives or chemicals, only all- natural ingredients. This place is dream for people with celiac disease and allergies, really a dream for anyone, since the baked goods are that good.
Leah learned to bake by spending hours in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother, who made everything from scratch. Her mother also made wedding cakes, so she had to learn to help decorate and make rosette, after rosette. This was before Leah was diagnosed with celiac disease. When she had children, she really started to experiment with baking gluten-free goodies. She, like many of us, wanted her daughter to feel included and enjoy something delicious with her teammates and friends. There was nothing on the market that was comparable, so she started baking for her family and friends. “Gluten-free baking is problem solving,” says Leah, who was a chemist before going on to become a doctor. She combines her background of family baking, science, autoimmune diseases, triathlon running and clean eating to create delicious baked goods for everyone to enjoy. Her kids give her lots of ideas for treats and are important in the taste testing process. “Kids do not lie,” she says, they always give their honest opinion.
Let’s talk cupcakes: Strawberry with Strawberry Buttercream, “Moc” Hostess cupcake with marshmallow filling, Boston Cream, Chocolate Caramel Delight, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Pina Colada, Mango with Mango buttercream, Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting and the best seller Chocolate Ice Cream Sundae Cupcake (comes in vanilla too!). There are also seasonal or occasional flavors like Orange Creamsicle or Pumpkin Caramel Peak. There is a cupcake for everyone. 30 different flavors in all! My personal favorite that I have tried so far is the White Wine Pear Cupcake with Salted Caramel frosting. The other members of my family vote for the Ice Cream Sundae cupcakes and the Mocha Cupcake with Mocha Buttercream. Any cupcake can be made into a cake. There are so many choices!
The selection of amazing gluten-free cupcakes is reason alone to stop by, but you will be drawn in again and again by all the other amazing treats and Leah’s husband, Tom’s humor as he sells you your goodies. The blondie is scrumptious! I have served it to people who do not have to eat gluten free and they cannot even tell. The éclair is heaven! The cinnamon buns, with both traditional and maple glaze, will leave you speechless. There are 6 or 7 different kinds of cookies, including seasonal sugar cookies; 8 different scones, 4 or 5 muffin flavors and coffee cakes you will never believe are gluten free. Occasionally there are filled donuts and if you want something, just ask Leah! She makes cakes, macaroons and pies, especially handy around the holidays to have a gluten-free dessert that everyone will enjoy. They are starting to make pizza and sandwich bread as well, along with buns and rolls for your dinner table.
Leah and her team, which has grown to 5 total in the two and half years since they opened, tirelessly bake and sell countless delicious treats each week. Their treats can be found at Mare Rooftop in Providence and Cool Beans in Narragansett. Their Gingerbread cookies and brioche buns can be found at Santa’s Village in Jefferson, NH. If you are looking for a fun local, holiday outing, they provide gluten-free sugar cookies to the Blackstone Valley Polar Express Train Ride, which are available on request.
You can always find them at their bakery and storefront at 39 Greenville Ave, Johnston, RI. Take a trip to their store. You won’t regret it! It is just west of Providence, only 35 minutes from my house in Massachusetts and worth the drive! If you mention that you heard about them through this article, Tom promised 10% off of your next order!
Check them out for your Thanksgiving rolls, pies and desserts. That will take the baking stress away and you can focus on your turkey, stuffing and sides! Here are some of my favorite easy Thanksgiving recipes: Easy Acorn Squash, How to Cook your Turkey, Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Gluten-Free Stuffing and don’t forget you can Make Your Take Out Turkey Fried Rice with leftovers!
Thank you Abbie for such an awesome article and review!! Hope to see you at the bakery again soon☺️!!
I’ll definitely be back soon!