Locally sourced and sustainable ingredients are a top priority of this earth conscious company.  Organic and locally farmed produce, meats and cheeses are featured.  They even have nitrate-free pepperoni and housemade sausage as topping options!   Gluten-free beer and hard cider are also available.

This newly opened eatery is tantalizing us with some imaginative dishes we don’t often see in the suburbs. Some include the house-made sage & apple sausage patties used in their breakfast sandwich, or the Mango Coconut Chicken, Pulled Pork Tacos entrees and many soups such as the Roasted Veggie, Lasagna Soup, Butternut Pear Soup, Country Onion Soup topped with pumpkin bread croutons, or the French Onion Soup topped with toasted bread and Gruyere cheese (dairy-free cheese is available too!).

Moving on to the diverse baked goods we can choose from Corn Muffins stuffed with fig jam, cinnamon drizzled Banana Coconut muffins, Blueberry muffins and numerous pies (Blueberry, Dutch Apple, Coconut Chocolate Ganache Pie, to name a few..).  Carrot Cake, Rice Crispy Treats, Chocolate Crackle Cookies and peaNOT Butter bars are just a sampling of what might be offered on any given day. 

Find them in Millis, MA at the Roche Brothers Plaza.

Phone:  (508) 376-1163

Organic, local foods are offered whenever possible. The sandwiches are available on a gluten-free focaccia bread (wheat based breads are served here also). They do a fine job altering traditional recipes into gluten-free versions such as the Spinach “Tabbouleh” Salad where they replace gluten laden couscous with quinoa. The Lasagna is made from layers of zucchini, spinach, cashew cheese, mushrooms and a basil marinara sauce, while the Butternut Angelhair is a pasta dish made by using the squash as the ‘pasta’.  Both of these entrees are raw as well.  Another dish that I haven’t yet seen at any restaurant (in a gluten-free version, that is) is the Panzanella with Rosemary and Almond Pesto.

For dessert there are usually a few chocolate based items and cheesecakes offered (however, most seem to contain nuts). At the time of this writing, there was a nut-free ice cream on the menu.  Hopefully, I’ll make a trip out there soon to try this healthy, innovative food as I hear the menu changes seasonally!

Closed Sundays

House made vegan cheese is available as are soy and rice milk.

Here are some of the sandwich offerings:

The Club- grilled tempeh bacon, smoked tofu, balsamic toasted tomato, tomaine, pickled red onion, tarragon basil pesto and roasted garlic mayo.

Smoked Ruben- grilled house smoked tofu, sweet and sour pickled cabbage, swiss cheese, basil, horseradish russian mayo.

Melt- Spicy tofu & vegetable salad, pickled carrot, baby arugula, cheddar cheese and dijonaise.

BLT- grilled homemade tempeh bacon, balsamic rosted tomato, roamine, basil, mint and roasted garlic mayo.

Currently, vegan puddings and ice cream are the only gluten-free dessert options, but I hear they are planning to expand the list!

The Bittersweet Cake Shop is a small take-out establishment with a storefront located in Cummings Park in Woburn, MA.  Currently only open on Fridays from 8am-2pm, they regularly offer vegan and gluten-free baked goods and bread for sandwiches.

Operated by two sisters, this European style bakery avoids the use of preservatives and artificial flavorings in their enticing treats. They offer brownies, cookies, banana bread, tarts, scones, and more!  They’re kept in a separate case labeled “gluten-free”.  A separate room and equipment are used to make the gluten-free products and they are baked on different days than the ‘regular’ products.  

On our visit, we tried the Pear Almond Tart, Vanilla Cup Cake and the White Chocolate Cranberry scone.  Perfectly textured and not too sweet, these products were superb!  Other gluten-free scone flavors available are Cinnamon Chip, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Earl Grey Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter and Toffee Chip. We also got a sandwich to go.  Of the three sandwich choices listed that day, only one was marked ’gluten-free’.  It was the Cranberry Chicken Salad, which was made with bread brought in from an outside source  (looked like Rudi’s to me).   As with the baked goods and the sandwiches, you never know what you’ll find each Friday.  Call ahead not only for the day’s choices, but also to request items be put aside for you.  We arrived by noon to find many items gone , or put aside for others.  Also, you can contact them a day or so ahead to ensure an adequate supply. (Phone: (781) 995-3398  Email: info@bittersweetboston.com)
Custom cakes and catering available as well as shipping nationwide!

They serve gluten-free breakfast, lunch and dinner and all sandwiches can be made on gluten free bread. They  also accomodate vegan  diets and “no sugar” requests ( no high fructose or corn syrup allowed here!). You won’t find fries on the menu but more healthy side  choices like kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts and plantains. Don’t miss out on the seasonal specials!

Custom orders are available with two days’ notice. These include cakes, cup cakes, cheesecakes (almond crust) and an assortment of savory dishes like quiche, lasagna and pot pies ( vegetable, chicken or turkey).

The Scottish Bakehouse acknowledges that because they are not a dedicated gluten-free bakery, they are careful to thoroughly wash all the equipment and utensils and prep gluten-free foods separately from “regular” orders. Items also available as take-out. Open year round!

Thanks to Danielle for the suggestion to check out Ob La Da Baking in Marshfield, MA. This family owned company specializes in gluten-free baking. While not an exclusively gluten-free bakery, almost all of their products can be made gluten-free or vegan!

All items are made to order and natural, organic ingredients are used, when available. They are also known for using locally sourced eggs and butter. For gluten-free orders, they use Bob’s Red Mill brand flours. Their products can be purchased at The Corner Cafe, online and at local farmer’s markets (Cohasset and Marshfield).

Below is a list of cupcake flavors.

Feel free to choose 2 flavors per dozen ordered.

• Plain ol’ vanilla: vanilla cake topped with your choice of vanilla or chocolate frosting.
• Plain ol’ chocolate: chocolate cake topped with your choice of vanilla or chocolate frosting.
• Lemon Meringue: lemon cake, lemon curd filling and meringue topping.
• Salted Caramel: caramel cake, caramel buttercream with a swirl of fleur de sel caramel sauce on top.
• Red Velvet Underground: red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.
• Tie Dye: rainbow vanilla cake with bourbon vanilla bean frosting.
• Coconut: coconut cake, cream cheese frosting and flaked coconut.
• Carrot: carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
• Cookie Monster: vanilla cake, cookie dough filling, blue vanilla frosting topped with chocolate chips.
• Bananas Foster: banana cake, rum caramel filling and vanilla frosting.
• Cookies and Cream: chocolate cake with a vanilla and gluten-free cookie frosting, topped with a gluten-free cookie.
• Peanut Butter Cup: Chocolate cake, peanut butter filling, chocolate peanut butter frosting.

We picked up a 1/2 dozen Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes on our way down to the Cape recently. Thanks to co-owner Kevin for making our order in less than 24 hours (typically, they require 48 hours notice)! These delicious cupcakes had a peanut butter center and were covered in a decadent chocolate ganache and topped with a mini peanut butter cup.

Though we picked up our order at The Corner Cafe, the bakery products are actually made in a certified home kitchen. When gluten-free items are requested, the kitchen and pans, bowls, utensils etc, are thoroughly washed and items are baked separately from any “regular” orders. We were pleasantly surprised to find our order with a generous amout of plastic wrap covering the pastry box. This was to decrease the chance of any cross-contamination while our order was awaiting pick up.

What delicious cupcakes and terrific customer service~looking forward to trying other flavors!

You’re also able to customize your own fruit blend if you so desire!

Vegetarian and vegan wraps are offered as well.  Gluten-free brown rice wraps or nori are available for those of us needing gluten-free, however, I suggest you call ahead as the brown rice wraps are a hit or miss item, but the nori is always plentiful in supply. Or, you can forgo the wrap and have the fixings in a salad form instead.  There is one item on the wrap menu that is available in a raw form, the Nori Wrap.  It is made with rice, carrots, red cabbage, sprouts and avocado and is served with gluten-free tamari soy sauce.

This cozy cafe is the perfect place to enjoy healthy food on a warm summer day. Don’t wait too long before you visit~they’re only open seasonally from April to early November.

It’s suggested that you call ahead with reservations and to mention your gluten-free needs at that time, and again upon initially meeting you server (well, that is second nature to us, isn’t it?).

There are also Chen Yang Li locations in Bedford and Bow, NH where they offer a more limted selection of gluten-free entrees on their menu but I’m told they will modify other dishes to accomodate your needs, whenever possible. Best to ask for the manager or owner if you chose to goes this route.