Joan's GF Great Bakes of Bellmore
1905A Bellmore Ave. Bellmore, NY 516-804-5600
Every single one of Joan Popkin's gluten-free baked goods has been tested by Certified Labs in Plainview to confirm that any trace of gluten content is less than 5 parts per million -- even though the federal standard for gluten-free foods is 20 parts per million. But Popkin's strongest bona fide is that her gluten-intolerant grandsons eat everything she sells. The back of her business card reads "Handmade with love and care for my grandchildren, now you can enjoy them too!"
Popkin began experimenting with gluten-free baking about five years ago to provide her son Ken's twin sons with bagels they could eat. Gluten-free cakes and sweets were starting to hit the mainstream, but breads -- bagels, English muffins, rolls, pizza, Italian bread -- lagged. (And understandably, since it is gluten that gives these items their distinctive texture.)
Somehow, Popkin was able to craft gluten-free breads that this avowed gluten enthusiast can confirm are astoundingly good.
By 2006, Popkin's hobby had turned into a small home-based business. That year, she took a few shopping bags of breads to the first Suffolk County gluten-free vendor fair. Within an hour, she was sold out, and a dozen stores had placed orders. "Even now," she said, "we sell bagels in packages of five because that's how many we could fit into the Chinese soup containers we brought to the fair."
In 2008, the operation moved to its present location, and Popkin's son Ken came on board. It's been down to Ken, a finance guy who had worked for Starbucks, to scale up production to accommodate the company's growth. Now Joan's GF Great Bakes are in about 100 stores nationwide, with more coming on board every day.
Ken and Joan Popkin of Joan's GF Great Bakes in Bellmore (Newsday Photo / Erica Marcus / April 6, 2010)
