By Ann Trieger Kurland GLOBE CORRESPONDENT APRIL 16, 2013
MILLIS — The “twist” in the name Twist Bakery Cafe is that all the baked goods and lunch items — empanadas, sandwiches, roll-ups, salads with a variety of dressings, cupcakes, moist macaroons and muffins, tart lemon squares, cakes, and brownies — are gluten- and peanut-free and many are made without dairy.
Owner Kathryn Ernst, 50, would have loved a spot like this when she was younger and discovered she had an allergy to gluten, the proteins that give bread and baked goods their texture. Even with so many food companies and restaurants adjusting their menus for gluten-free diners (see related story, Page 18), there was still a demand for baked goods.
Ernst hired bakers and cooks and opened a year ago in a shopping plaza next to a Roche Bros. “People don’t have access to a lot of freshly made gluten-free foods in these suburbs,” says Ernst, who knew by the time she turned 20 that she had to give up almost everything she loved. Strawberries caused hives, and raw carrots and celery made her hoarse. When she later developed belly and joint pain, her doctor told her to eliminate foods with gluten.
