Some sources suggest celiac disease is on the rise.
Estimates suggest it is four times more common today than it was 50 years ago.
For those of us who have been around the block a few times, it has become increasingly likely in recent years that a friend or family member has reported at least an intolerance to gluten, if not full-on celiac disease, which is a severe autoimmune disorder that can set in at any time in a person’s life and is marked by agonizing reactions to the proteins contained in wheat, rye and barley.
Though research continues at a steady pace, much is still unknown about the disorder and there is speculation about its causes, from physical changes to grains as a result of mass production and selective cultivation to theories about greater diagnostic precision today.
Whatever the cause, the simple fact is that those so afflicted have no reliable recourse but to eliminate the offending grains from their diets, which is no easy task given the ubiquitous, latent applications of these ingredients. A reliable, trustworthy supplier of gluten-free foodstuffs, like a supplier who is personally invested in ensuring 100 per cent gluten-free production, can be a treasured find for many.
Such a place exists in the form of Two Daughters Gluten Free Bakeshop on East First Street in North Vancouver.
Two Daughters owner and chief baker Lisa Reichelt was on a meteoric rise. Her baking, which she showcased at farmers markets across the Lower Mainland, was making waves, and demand for her goods required a move to a streamlined bricks and mortar operation. With success all but assured, Reichelt’s youngest daughter was diagnosed as having celiac disease and also began to exhibit a severe intolerance for dairy and eggs. As any mother or father will tell you, it’s parenthood first, business second, and so it was that Reichelt had to figure out a way to continue to build on the momentum of her burgeoning success without the central toolbox of the baker’s craft.
As is so often the case, innovation is born of necessity. With a paucity of quality gluten-free goods on the market, Reichelt was able to fill a growing void by revamping her trusted recipes to be celiac-friendly and vegan, creating one of the most specialized, and yet accessible, shops on the North Shore. Two Daughters Bakeshop opened its doors in October of 2012.
I’m not going to lie to you here; as someone lucky enough to have no food intolerances and few strong aversions, the terms gluten-free and vegan don’t typically scream “yummy baking” to me. I know that I’m not alone on that one.
However, I have the humility to admit my own shortcomings when they are revealed to me and I must now concede, based on my recent visit to Two Daughters for a selection of holiday treats, that my lingering preconceptions about gluten-free baking are perhaps ill founded.
I found Two Daughters’ baking to be surprisingly, in some cases even shockingly, delicious and satisfying. Dense crescents of not-too-sweet walnut shortbread, with their toasty, nutty exterior and unexpectedly moist and tender interior, may just be my new favourite accompaniments to strong coffee.
Chai Shortbread Cookies revealed fragrant, heady notes of nutmeg and cinnamon, while Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, featuring two rich and crumbly peanut butter cookies stuffed with dark chocolate filling, were a nostalgic indulgence, reminding me of the crispy, fork-pressed versions my mother made for me as a kid.
Chocolate chip cookies had a great chewy texture and their fancier counterparts, Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, were like mini chocolate cakes stuffed with creamy icing. A Dark Chocolate Brownie required me to parade it around the office for all to try as I was hard-pressed to understand how something devoid of dairy could remain so rich and dense, while the Sugar Cookie with Dark Chocolate and Crushed Candy Cane was a hit with the kids.
Two Daughters Bakeshop sells all manner of goods beyond cookies and holiday treats, including doughnuts, loaves, bars, muffins, scones, breads and ready-to-bake pizza dough.
Items are priced to be less expensive the more you buy. Half a dozen cookies were $10, half a dozen cookie sandwiches $18. The brownie was $3.50.
Two Daughters Bakeshop is located at 121 East First St. (entrance in the alleyway between Esplanade Avenue and East First Street) twodaughtersbakeshop.com 604-836-2229
• • •
As a restaurant reviewer, I am compelled to devote a few words to news of the passing of A.A. Gill, the food and culture critic for The Sunday Times in the U.K.; he succumbed to cancer earlier this month.
Gill was a master of the English language, alternately wielding prose like a fearsome weapon when a restaurant moved him to vitriol or weaving it into beautiful, rarefied tapestries when so inclined.
His writing was bold, erudite, self-confident, and often controversial, but always compelling. Gill’s commentary on restaurants frequently transcended the medium, casting a sober light on our absurd cultural tendencies, while his travelogues offered vivid depictions of locations both exotic and familiar with unmatched aplomb. I join the ranks of millions who will mourn his passing but am grateful for the plethora of inspiring work that remains. You will always occupy a prized seat at the maddeningly crowded banquet table of my memories, Mr. Gill.
Slàinte.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
