Eleanor’s Bake Shop Celebrates Success With Free Sample Day

Posted on August 17, 2011 by admin

Sandy, UT (August 15, 2011) — On Saturday, August 20, 2011, from 9 am to 3 pm

Eleanor’s Bake Shop will offer free samples of gluten-free brownies and cookies to celebrate its first year in business.

Customers will also receive free tickets to the annual Gluten-Free Expo, which will take place on October 8, 2011, at the South Towne
Expo Center.  The Gluten-Free Expo is sponsored by Dan’s Market, Maceys, Lin’s and Dick’s.

Owner Sue Turley and her family opened Eleanor’s Bake Shop when they were unable to find baked goods
without gluten, a protein found in many grains that can damage the small intestine and cause other debilitating health problems.

Eleanor’s Bake Shop offers a gluten-free menu that includes sandwiches, soups, pizza, bread, cakes, brownies, cookies and arepas, a pita-type wrap originally used in South American cuisine.

Shortly after opening its doors last year, Eleanor’s Bake Shop participated in the Gluten-Free Expo, and business boomed. “The Expo introduced us to thousands of customers whose families suffer from gluten intolerance,” Turley said.  “And it was exciting to find out about many other companies that are working to make a gluten-free diet more manageable and enjoyable.”

Five thousand people attended the 2010 Expo, and the sponsors expect twice as many this year, as awareness of celiac disease and of the benefits of a gluten-free diet increases. “About one percent of the population suffers from celiac disease,” said Debbie Deaver, owner of the
Gluten-Free Expo.  “That would mean about 27,000 individuals in Utah.  But celiac disease disrupts the entire family, since it causes severe health problems and forces families to change their diets completely.  We’re trying to help make that transition easier.”

This year’s Expo will feature a “SillyActs Corner” with activities for kids who suffer from celiac disease; Utah’s first Race for Celiacs, to benefit The Celiac Foundation; and opportunities to sample gluten-free products from more than 100 companies. Sales for the gluten-free
products industry are expected to double in the next four years, from $2.5 billion to $5 billion.  More than 3 million Americans suffer from celiac disease, more than those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease and cystic fibrosis combined.  New research shows another 40 million Americans suffer in some way from non-celiac gluten intolerance.