CeliacChicks

Gluten-Free New Jersey: The Scone Shoppe

The Scone Shoppe

2401 Bridge Avenue

Pt. Pleasant, NJ

732.899.4070

I've never actually watched an episode of Jersey Shore, but I've seen promos for it and I've heard plenty of water cooler talk about it. I wonder if tourism has gone up in the area since the show has aired?

Well, it looks like The Situation there is pretty enticing for those of us that are gluten-free. Thanks to Theresa Cavallo-Paterno, you can have a civilized tea experience at The Scone Shoppe in Point Pleasant. I know that I would love to go to a proper tea with gluten-free goodies, so I thought that this news would excite you too! Theresa sent me some fresh scones and they looked and smelled amazing. They do have dairy in them, so I had to rely on Kim and the glutenators at my office to review them. They all gave them rave reviews on both taste and texture. I can say that they smelled scrumptious.

Gluten-Free New Jersey: Miller's Gluten-Free Bread Co.

Ben Cappel is Assistant Organizer of the New York City Celiac Disease Meetup Group , Organizer of the Jersey City Celiac Disease Meetup Group and the Celiac Disease Meetups Alliance.  He has also been known to masquerade, infrequently as a robot llama. Please welcome Ben as today's guest blogger. ~Kelly

******
(top photo: Tom Miller, the co-owner; fantastic Miller's Gluten Free Pierogies; sign outside the bakery.)

Rochelle Park, NJ - Sunday, September 29th was the grand opening of a brand spanking new gluten-free bakery in North Jersey, Miller's Gluten Free Bread Company, an area quickly becoming a mecca for gluten free pierogi snarfers.  Lucky residents of the greater Hackensack area have the Gluten Free Market, the Happy Carrot, P.F. Chang's, Maggiano's Little Italy and now Miller's Gluten Free Bread Co. all within a 15 minute drive. 

I'd heard rumblings for months of a new gluten-free bakery coming to New Jersey (as an organizer of the New York City and Jersey City Celiac Disease Meetups I have my ear pretty close to the tracks when it comes to new gluten-free happenings in the area) and the rumors were confirmed with posts to our message boards a few weeks ago announcing the grand opening.  Ever since going gluten free in 2002-03 I've been on a mission to find and try as many gluten-free products as possible and form a mini-olympics as to which products of each type are best.  I can tell you which three gluten-free rolls are best for a turkey sandwich, in order depending on your desired texture...and which three gluten-free bread makes the best french toast by thickness, fluffiness, you name it.  So when a new bakery comes out with an entirely new product for me to try - I'm there!

Tom & Kim Miller have obviously poured their heart into making some fantastic gluten-free bread and baked goods.  They are the only gluten-free bakery I know of that, in addition to the standards like gluten-free White Sandwich bread, also make something I've missed for a while: gluten-free Raisin Bread!  I grew up in a town (Oswego, NY) where the weekend breakfast scene is dominated by a rinkydink diner where all the locals go ("Wade's Diner") whose hallmark is their homemade cinnamon raisin bread.  It was a staple of my childhood which I just hadn't been able to find in the gluten free world until now.  So exciting!  Speaking of sweet, cinnamony bread get this: Miller's also has something I've never seen before- a gluten-free Cinnamon Streusel Bread which is sweet and fluffy (almost like cake) and topped with a thin layer of cinnamon-sugar icing.  They also have really soft, moist gluten-free White Sandwich Bread and another interesting twist- gluten-free Asiago Cheese Bread, which is like gluten-free White Bread flavored and topped with Asiago cheese.