REVIEW: Crave Bake Shop (Let's move to Oregon)

 

The Box Arrives

When I interviewed Kyra Bussanich, the owner of Crave Gluten Free Bake Shop, I laughed when she said that her shipping boxes were tightly wrapped and covered with bright orange "fragile" stickers.  But she wasn't kidding.  My box arrived like it was going to war.  But when I opened it, a few tasty little friends were happily looking up at me from their crisp white bakery box.  Unbroken.  Unharmed.  Waiting to be devoured.

Those little friends were called Peanut Butter Ring Ding Swiss Rolls and Grasshopper Mint Brownies.  My inner kid was clapping. 

Last December, Kyra and I discussed the bake shop's process to prevent cross contamination.  Kyra knows what she is doing.  There is no spelt, rye, wheat, triticale in the bakery.  She sources from tested gluten-free manufacturers.  I had also sent her my allergen list, so I was confident that these treats would be safe for me to eat. As I speak to more restaurant and bakery owners, I"m finding that when the owner of a foodie establishment has serious food restrictions themselves, they tend to be much more knowledgeable about food allergy practices.

 Peanut Butter Ring Dings

Peanut Butter Ring Dings (forefront); Grasshopper Mint Brownie (back)

I tried the Peanut Butter Ring Dings first, partly because brownies are my favorite food of all time (wait.... no, they are pretty much my favorite food of all time) and I wanted to save them for last.  I also enlisted a few non-food-allergic taste testers:  my mom and my friend Val.  Kyra was the first gluten-free baker to ever win Cupcake Wars, so this tasting responsibility was not to be done alone. 

My mom took the first bite and exclaimed, "Oh these are amazing!  These are gluten-free?"  When I replied yes, she had another question, "Where are these from?"  When I responded with "Oregon", she said with finality, "Oh, we are moving to Oregon." 

What I appreciated most about the ring ding was that the cake was really light and fluffy.  Even with the advances in gluten-free baking lately, these are two rare qualities in a gluten-free cake. 

The cake and filling had also retained their moisture, even though the intended arrival was a day late (thanks Postmaster).  The hard chocolate shells that surrounded each ring ding may have had something to do with that.  The peanut butter, dairy-free "cream" was also light and the peanut butter taste was surprisingly delicate.  I'm not used to peanut butter anything being delicate, and I liked it.  The chocolate shell, however, was a little too thick to let you truly recognize the lightness of the cake and filling, so I removed half of the chocolate shell.  When I did so, I could better appreciate the talent that went into the cake and the filling. Please note that this is more of an observation rather than a complaint.  The peanut butter ring dings are delish.

I saved a second set of treats for the next day.  They were still surprisingly fresh.   I asked my friend Val stop by to get another opinion.  She grew up with a celiac sister, so she has tasted many a gluten-free item, plus her taste buds are accustomed to wheat.   I left off part of the shell for her first bite and she started raving and repeating the, "This is really gluten-free?" question over and over.   Then she said, "Hey, where's the rest of the chocolate?  Hand it over.  That's mine."  The ring ding, plus complete chocolate coating, was her favorite.

Grasshopper Mint Brownies

 Grasshopper Mint Brownie

I have been searching for the world's best brownie ever since I popped forth from the womb.  For nearly 10 years, I had also made it my mission to find the best 2 am. grilled cheese and bacon sandwich in Manhattan.  With the onset of my allergies I've had to give up one search (seriously, a gluten-free, dairy-free grilled cheese is possible?), but not my quest for the best brownie. 

Wheatless or not, my standards remain high.  I still want the perfect mix of chewy, moist and only slightly cakey.  I still want the chocolate to have depth and a nice finish.  Yes, I'm serious.  Chocolate is like wine.  You don't want your brownie to leave you hanging.

I've tasted some very good gluten-free brownies within the last decade.  BabyCakes Bakery in New York City serves a lovely brownie bite.  My own brownie tart recipe, though quite rich, is one of my favorites, too.  Until now.

Crave makes the best brownies I've ever tasted.  The texture of the brownie itself was heavenly.  Chewy, moist, just a hint of  cakey - all there.  The mint "cream" was a nice surprise.  At first, I was unsure.  There was a lot of it and I wanted just a little more brownie.  So I tried the brownie alone.  Perfect.   I tried the mint cream alone and I was amazed at the perfect balance of fresh mint flavor.  I absolutely loved the two layers together.   I wanted more.  Usually mint flavored baked goods have a rather fake taste to them, which I find offputting.  Crave's mint, however, was fresh and satisfying.  I miss that grasshopper mint brownie. 

In fact, my annual birthday brownies are coming from Crave this year, and I"m going to order a bunch. 

Find Crave

www.cravebakeshop.com

LOCATION: 460 5TH STREET, LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034

PHONE: 503.212.2979 | FAX: 503.212.2978

EMAIL: INFO@CRAVEBAKESHOP.COM

HOURS: TUE-FRI 8am - 5pm, SAT 8am - 4pm

 Full length view: Grasshopper Mint Brownie

Let Them Eat (a Really Big) Gluten-free Cake! For Congress on May 4.

A Really Big Cake

Do you know what defines a gluten-free product?  Well, neither does our FDA.  In 2004 Congress gave the FDA a mandate to finalize this definition by 2008 to protect the millions of people who have celiac disease or who are allergic to gluten.  That's like, seven years, dudes. 

The Washington Post reports that some companies "might fail to test their products or might allow small amounts of gluten but still label their foods as gluten-free."  People with celiac and with serious allergies cannot tolerate one crumb.  This type of sloppiness and ignorance can make customers in this $2.6 billion dollar market very ill, hospitalized or contract other health problems like other autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, infertility, neurological conditions and, in rare cases, cancer. 

While Tender Foodies can benefit from more manufacturers in the allergen-free marketplace, "Gluten-free" is not a marketing tactic.

So to tempt our authorities into doing their job, some gluten-free experts are making a really big cake in Washington, D.C.  to let our legislator know that this is a really big deal.  How big is the cake?  We'll have to wait for the videos.  If it's chocolate, I might hop a plane tomorrow.

Gluten Labeling - A Really Big Deal

So, you might ask, how big of a deal is this, anyway? 

Food allergies & intolerance, and their diagnoses, are escalating at a surprising rate.  In 2002, a study shows that there are 12 million people in the United States alone who have some type of food allergy (that's 1 in 25 people).  Three million more have celiac disease.   A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports on gluten study done in March, 2011.  It states that celiac disease "is rising sharply".  There are four times more people today with celiac disease than there were 50 years ago.  That's 1 in 133 people.  Even people in their 70's who have safely eaten gluten their entire lives are being diagnosed with celiac disease for the first time.  The University of Maryland School of Medicine (they did the study in March 2011) believes there are 18 million people with gluten sensitivities.  Gluten sensitivity or intolerance can manifest with over 100 symptoms, including depression, anxiety, bloating, brain fog, swollen joints, nutrition deficiencies. . .

Chew on This

•  75% of our human immune system lies in the intestines.  Our food matters.
• FAAN states that there are 300,000 ambulatory care visits per year for children, because of food allergies.
• In 2008, Fox News reported 50,000 emergency room visits per year (overall)
• in 2010, Aol Health reported that emergency room visits jumped to 200,000 (overall)

So on May 4, 2011, this really cool event in response to an important part of the growing food allergy problem.  A group of talented and enterprising folks are gathering in Washington, D.C. to lobby for laws that require gluten be declared on food labels. 

Click here to see the cake builders!

Excerpts from the Wall Street Journal article from March 15, 2011

"Patients have been told if it wasn't celiac disease, it wasn't anything. It was all in their heads," says Cynthia Kupper, executive director of the nonprofit Gluten Intolerance Group of North America"

"For the first time, we have scientific evidence that indeed, gluten sensitivity not only exists, but is very different from celiac disease," says lead author Alessio Fasano, medical director of the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research.

"People aren't born with this. Something triggers it and with this dramatic rise in all ages, it must be something pervasive in the environment," says Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. One possible culprit: agricultural changes to wheat that have boosted its protein content."

 Full article

The Day's Events

11:00 a.m - 4:30 - Cake Building (all are welcome)
We are developing opportunities to brief staffers on Capitol Hill and meet with individual Congressional Representatives - watch for details.

5 p.m. - 8:30 - VIP Reception (donors & invited guests)
With distinguished speakers, including Dr. Alessio Fasano
Finger Foods by chef extraordinaire Aaron Flores and local restaurants serving gluten-free menu items
(Everyone is welcome, donations kindly requested. Please RSVP to Info@1in133.org First 300 attendees receive a "swag bag" full of gluten-free magazines and goodies provided by our sponsors)

All Day - Individuals are encouraged to make appointments with their Representative and Senators to discuss the need for gluten-free labeling standards. Not sure how to do this?  See "Coming to the Summit".