By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
Customers of Deborah’s Sweet Treats now have room for more than just dessert. The bakery moved earlier this year from its storefront in the village of Baldwinsville to a spacious café on Oswego Road in Liverpool. While the gluten-free bakery moved to its new location April 30, owner Deborah Fuller is still spreading the word about the move.
“People are loving it,” Fuller said of her customers’ response to the bakery’s new home. “The customers that came from the Baldwinsville location love it because it’s bigger and brighter.”
Deborah’s Sweet Treats is bright indeed, with its walls frosted with vivid green, pink and blue paint. The café has plenty of natural light and outdoor seating. Now, in addition to the bakery’s cakes, cookies, brownies and pies, Deborah’s Sweet Treats can serve lunch and beverages.
“We wanted to open up our café because one, [our B’ville location] wasn’t big enough, and two, we couldn’t get the foot traffic,” Fuller said.
Located in the former Quiznos next to “Herb” Philipson’s, Deborah’s Sweet Treats is now nestled among other businesses, schools and medical offices.
“Being a gluten-free bakery, that’s a medical issue,” Fuller noted.
Fuller was diagnosed in 2005 with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which ingesting gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — damages the villi, the protrusions in the small intestine that help absorb nutrients. Fuller and several of her family members maintain gluten-free diets, including her daughter, Kristen, who works in the bakery.
For someone with a lifelong love of baking, like Fuller, gluten-free products often don’t measure up to traditional breads, cookies and cakes.
“When I was diagnosed back then, stuff wasn’t as decent-tasting as it is now,” Fuller said.
So, Fuller began to experiment, tweaking her favorite recipes so they were gluten-free, but not flavor-free.
In addition to feeding walk-in customers and filling orders for cakes and cookies, Fuller also makes pizza dough and bread rolls.
“We had a gentleman in here today saying our sandwich rolls are better than gluten rolls,” said Fuller’s daughter, Kristen.
Several local eateries use products made at Deborah’s Sweet Treats, including Sal’s Pizzeria, Tassone’s Wine Garden, and Glazed and Confused. Many of Fuller’s restaurant clients use her pizza dough.
“People really love those because they don’t taste like a gluten-free crust,” she said.
Because people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity often have other food allergies or sensitivities, the majority of Fuller’s products are dairy-free and many of them are nut-free. The menu has vegan offerings as well.
“Just because you’re gluten-free, it doesn’t mean you have to eat … the dry, heavy, grainy items,” she said.
Deborah’s Sweet Treats is located at 7421 Oswego Road/Route 57 in Liverpool. To learn more, visit deborahssweettreats.net or call (315) 635-2400.
