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Two million Americans suffer from the painful, problematic wheat intolerance, and now they have a place to go. At the Gluten Free Market in Fair Lawn River Road District, there's no need to scan grocery labels for the forbidden flour.
"Other supermarkets like Whole Foods carry gluten-free goods, but there they'll be in one section or you'll have to read the label," said owner Rose Bertani. "Everything here is gluten-free, not just one section. You don't have to read any labels. You can just shop carefree -- and gluten-free."
Bertani got the idea for the shop from her brother, the co-founder of Mr. Ritt's Bakery, a Philadelphia-based mail-order company. She began by selling the bakery's cakes. "Then we decided to sell other products because we saw such a demand around here," she said. So, in December of 2006, she opened at this busy Fair Lawn Avenue location near River Road.
In addition to baked goods, the shop sells pizza, pastas, soups and cereals. Pamphlets point out the hidden sources of gluten in products such as soy sauce, other sauces, cheese and jams. And in February, the shop will begin offering formal advice to parents of children with food restrictions and allergies through the Bergen County Department of Health Services.
Rose chose the River Road district for her business because of its great location, with easy access from major roadways such as Routes 4, 208 and 20. As she says, "Many of our customers come in our store just from stopping on the corner for red lights and seeing the sign." Rose further enthused, "People are so friendly and helpful in the District. The RRIC gave us a bench in front of the store that we asked for, and the Chamber of Commerce has been most helpful. The best, of course, is location, location."
The River Road District welcomes Rose Bertani and her new business to the community and wishes them much success. |
