Wild Flours Serves Up Gluten-Free Options

Nestled on a sunny corner off of Main Street in Huntington Village, you’ll find Wild Flours Bake Shop, a charming little café with a warm, welcoming atmosphere and pale chrysanthemum colored walls.

Aside from assorted coffees and teas, the delectable sweet treats offered include cookies, muffins, scones, brownies and cakes and the savory treats include breads, quiche, paninis and pizza. The best part is that everything is gluten free.

When owner Carolyn Arcario opened Wild Flours in the fall of 2010, which she co-owns with her sister Mary Mucci, it was with her own and the health of her family in mind. Arcario explains, “I was living in the city and I was eating a lot of bagels, pizza and grab-n-go food. I felt really unwell and after a while I discovered that I had an allergy to gluten and other food ingredients. I wanted to be able to indulge in foods that I liked without feeling deprived, so I decided to open up a little muffin shop that was gluten free. I had no idea as to the response I would get. So many other people had the same issues that I had. I couldn’t believe it.”

It was right before Thanksgiving, a time of year when baked goods are an essential, and Arcario’s gluten free items were in such high demand that she had a difficult time keeping up. Arcario says, “We were turning people away and finally I realized, I’m not just a little muffin shop. I have to really get it together and put out a lot of product and that’s what we do.”

“Our range of products is tremendous because we’re doing everything from muffins to wedding cakes and we’ve also incorporated lunch items. Our most recent items are empanadas, vegan and chicken, and everything is made with organic ingredients. During the winter we do soups. Now, we’re transitioning over to salads and will be doing power bowls with quinoa, some meat or veggies, to give people more options because everyone who cares about what they eat wants to have something like that to have for lunch or to take home for dinner.”

As the community has become aware of the healthy and delicious options that this special bake shop offers, Wild Flours has become known for its wedding cakes and other special occasion cakes. “Our muffins and scones are big sellers, and the crumb cake is very popular. It’s just as delicious as the crumb cake we used to eat when I was a kid, but it’s gluten free. People really love the brownies too. I’ve been adding more vegan items over time, like vegan scones and vegan pizza. Many people are interested in paleo items, so we make paleo muffins and scones. We’re doing our best to help people address their specific needs and if it’s something unusual, we’ll try and tackle it.”

“I think people appreciate not only that we’re gluten free but that even more than that, we’re focused on health. We’re not just putting out gluten free offerings without caring about whether it has preservatives or dyes in it. We don’t use any dyes, modifiers or preservatives and we use organic ingredients. Even though it’s a much higher cost for me to use organic, it’s something that I feel so strongly about and we do have a market that comes in here specifically because we are using a healthier product. We’re not putting out food that we ourselves wouldn’t want to eat.” Arcario even installed a water filter for the shop so that any water that is used, whether it’s for baking or for cleaning, is filtered.

When asked what her favorite part of owning Wild Flours Bake Shop is, Arcario replies, “I would say dealing with customers and meeting people. A lot of our customers have become our friends over the years. People don’t have to have an intolerance to gluten or dairy or soy to come in and enjoy what we have to offer.”

Wild Flours Bake Shop is located at 11 New Street in Huntington.

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