Who knew gluten-free could taste this good?
Chilliwack’s Katherine Taylor did, and she’s sharing it with an appreciative audience at her SaraBella’s Gluten Free Café!
Today, the café is not only gluten-free and nut-free, but also serves a delicious array of vegan options using no animal products.
“I always wanted to open my own café, and starting with the gluten-free focus made sense – that’s pretty big right now, so we anticipated a good response. But the added demand we’ve seen for vegan options, that caught me by surprise,” Taylor reflects. “People come in and when we show them everything in the baking case, their eyes light up – ‘But there’s so much here!’ they say.”
A recipe for success
While Taylor has no allergies or food sensitivities herself, she embarked on this journey after seeing a Celiac friend struggle to find gluten-free food that actually tasted good.
As Taylor started adapting some of her favourite recipes to share with her delighted friends, the idea for SaraBella’s was born.
Because Taylor’s tastebuds hadn’t been compromised by badly adapted recipes some associate with gluten-free, her expectations were high, meaning she tasted and tweaked until they were perfect.
“I like food, and I really like being able to offer food that tastes amazing,” Taylor says, pointing to the rich, chocolatey, oh-so-good brownies. Starting with the basics, “I worked on developing a flour mix I could use cup-for-cup with my regular recipes, and they were one of the first that worked really, really well.”
Three to try
Not a believer yet? With salads, sandwiches and sweets on offer, here’s three you gotta try:
- The oat fudge bars are amazing, extra yummy when nibbled with a cappuccino or “Chilliwack Fog” – chai indienne tea, steamed milk and a hint of salted caramel.
- In the mood for salad? Tuck into their most popular selection, the Southwest Salad – lettuce, tomato, corn, beans, red pepper, avocado, cheese and chicken, tofu or vegan “beef,” tossed with a southwest dressing. Yum!
- Proof that SaraBella’s gluten-free bread is the perfect base for a savoury sandwich, guests rave about the chicken pesto panini – grilled chicken and veggies with basil pesto, avocado aioli and goat cheese, grilled to perfection.
Gluten-free on the go
As Taylor and her team continue to perfect their recipes, using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, options for customers are also growing. Not only can you call ahead to take your go-to items to go, but you can also pick up their all-purpose flour to craft your favourites in the comfort of your own kitchen.
And if you have a special event coming up, it gets even better: stop in to chat about their catering options, and their custom cakes that really have people talking!
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Visit SaraBella’s Gluten Free Café at 101-8705 Young Rd. in Chilliwack or read more online at sarabellasgf.com
