NO, THERE AREN'T *SAFE* GLUTEN-FREE OPTIONS HERE.
A friend of ours bought us a "gluten-free" Flourless Chocolate Cake for a birthday party. She was told it was safe for celiacs. My fault for not verifying, but it was in no way, shape, or form gluten-free.
Let me be clear: I didn't get "contaminated," I'd eaten pure gluten. My body and cognition and gut and vision and hearing and my ability to walk were destroyed for a solid week+.
Within 15 minutes of consuming 4 bites, I was scratching my skin off and my husband and I looked at each other, and I burst into tears knowing what was to come; then scrambled for the Benadryl and ibuprofen and L-glutamine and prescription pain killers before I wound up doubled over and screaming as my body tried to kill itself over gluten...
He called the bakery and asked about the cake. They told him it's gluten free. He gave them another chance to be honest and reiterated that it would be a Celiac consuming it--not someone who chooses to be GF, nor someone with a minor sensitivity. A straight-up systemic Celiac.
S/he said after a pause, "I wouldn't trust it."
No [expletive].
So, Sugar Bakery--remove "GF options" until you can do it right. My liver can't handle anymore companies "trying their hand at gluten free" and not knowing what they're doing, plus not being 100% transparent with their customers.
Needless to say, we advise anyone with a gluten allergy to stay far away from this place.
------
UPDATE: In response to Quynh L. of the Sugar Bakery, the birthday party we attended in which the cake was purchased for (for my family) was in May 2019. I normally don't ever trust other people when it comes to my health, but she was told by someone at your establishment that I would be safe, and when we called, it took giving whoever answered the phone a second chance to give an honest response.
I'm so glad you've refreshed your staff. That's fantastic! (By the tone you used in your response, I hope you discussed it where no customers were present...)
I've been a diagnosed Celiac closing on 3 years now (apparently a lifelong, undiagnosed issue--hence my liver issues). We've lived in Seattle for a little over a year. I would not have chosen to eat at your establishment, and normally never trust other people with my health, no matter how much they think they know or how hard they tried to do something for me. My review states that I should have verified myself in the very beginning of it, and that that was on me. And although I appreciate your passion, it's unprofessional and misplaced.
And I doubt that you haven't had another gluten reaction before. You just haven't heard about it [yet].
(I, too, don't return to places I've gotten sick from and just started doing reviews within the past 14 months.)
I choose to live a full life, not stay at home and live in fear. I know doing so is risky, but imagine being stuck for years in a house, in constant pain and unable to walk while your organs are failing and no one can figure out what's wrong with you. I choose to live while I still can. If that makes me a "risk-taking Celiac," then so be it.
With that, I've been contaminated enough in three years to know the difference between an, "Oops, this was handled improperly" versus "gluten is IN this".
*What I experienced was the absolute worst glutening I've ever had. EVER.* Hence why I felt the need, months later, to finish my review.
I recommend you check with the manufacturers of the heavy cream, butter, and chocolate chips then. Something contains gluten, and if not, then you have bigger problems in your bakery that more than just Celiacs should be concerned about.
Next, I appreciate your response. You clearly care about your business, and that is wonderful. You care so much that you checked out my other reviews (at the time: on coffee and an apartment, plus one glutening from a restaurant that said they could handle a severe Celiac and could not, but still was not anywhere near as bad as the glutening I received from your establishment)--these reviews apparently make me a "risk-taking Celiac"?
Again, I appreciate your passion, but the level of professionalism in your tone is just lovely.
And lastly, thank you. Because of what I experienced, I learned 100% not to ever trust anyone with my health again. Thanks, again, for helping me solidify that. read more