Gluten free goodies now available in Fairport

Posted at: 10/10/2012 3:15 PM | Updated at: 10/10/2012 6:01 PM
By: Christine VanTimmeren | WHEC.com

For many in our community who struggle with celiac disease or are lactose intolerant, it’s a struggle every day to find food that meets their needs. But there is a new bakery in town that is making life a little bit easier.

Nestled in between a service and repair shop and a pottery business on Turk Hill Road in Fairport is a little place you could easily miss called Ellie’s Bakery.

Rob Atzl, Ellie’s Bakery owner,  said, “Definitely always have cookies, cupcakes on hand. It took a while to get all the recipes down, a lot of trial and error. I wasn’t a baker; I worked for an environmental and engineering company before this.”

Three years ago, Rob and Melissa Atzl’s son had to go on a special diet.

Rob Atzl said, “Our son’s been on a gluten, dairy and soy free diet for about well since he was three and it just took on a life of its own. I started doing more and more baked goods and came up with the idea of starting a bakery from there.”

A bakery with the same dietary restrictions as his son, no milk, no butter, no gluten and even no soy, and they soon found out, it was something this community really needed.

Jessica Curran, who has Celiac disease, said, “Here the bread tastes like normal bread, the cookies taste like normal cookies. I think the cookies taste a little better.”

For years Jessica Curran dreamed of a place that catered to her celiac disease.

Curran said, “Coming here and trying them and not making me sick and tasting good I was like, ‘Oh I can enjoy sweets again.”

Pattie Taylor-Brown, All Occasions Catering, said, “I was thrilled. I was thrilled and I told everyone on our email list, I was like this is so great to be able to have this now.”

What started as a necessity for the family and has now become a godsend for others.

Melissa Atzl, Ellie's Bakery owner, said, “It's so rewarding to be able to bring it to the community level now.”

Ellie's Bakery opened its doors in September of last year.  So they've been open for a little over a year. Owner Rob Atzl says he's been amazed by the need in the community and business has been picking up as more and more people find out about it.

The owners say a lot of people who come in have a family member with Autism. There are studies that show very positive results when children with Autism go gluten free.

The Atzl’s son has seen remarkable progress since he’s been on the gluten, soy and dairy free diet.

The caterer who came in said she’s catering a wedding for a bride who has severe allergies and Ellie’s is the only place she can go locally to get things to cater her wedding.

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