Featuring over 65 local and artisanal vendors, Gluten Free Garage is set to go down on Sunday May 1st at Artscape Wychwood Barns. As a returning media sponsor, we’ve loved seeing GFG grow over the last 5 years, and become not only the massively successful event that it is, but also a pillar in the GF community. A feast for all the senses, expect to hear inspiring speakers and sample a vast assortment of tasty offerings from sauces and pasta to baked goods, cheezes (HA!), dumplings and pickles – our mouths are already watering!

In anticipation of Toronto’s original gluten free pop-up marketplace, we’re profiling a handful of this year’s vendors we love. Yuliya is the proud co-owner of Cock-A-Doodle-Doo Gluten-Free Bakeshop.

SDTC: Tell us your story! When did you decide to start your business and how did the idea come about?

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo is a 100% gluten free, refined sugar free, soy free, corn free and dairy free Toronto bakeshop with a lot of vegan options, which opened its doors in January 2016. Everything is baked fresh early every morning in small batches to ensure quality, nutrition and taste. We want to emphasize that our products are not only for people with allergies, but for everyone who wants to enjoy delicious, flavourful and healthy breads and pastries. 

Although no one in my family suffers from allergies, I started to experiment with gluten free and refined sugar free baking about 3 years ago to maintain a healthier lifestyle. First attempts were not always successful. but step by step, I stopped following recipes from books and other sources and started to develop my own to make sure that they taste amazing. We brought our desserts to the friends and they said that we need to sell them. That’s how it started!

SDTC: What’s been the most exciting part about owning your own business? What’s been the most challenging?

What we’re really enjoying about owing our own business is that you can do everything the way you see it, how you envision it. As we’ve never been connected with baking before (we had different careers in our past lives), it’s a challenge and joy for us, at the same time, as it brings satisfaction everyday when we see that people love our products and enjoy coming to our small, but unique store where everything is made by ourselves with love and which we consider as a second home. The whole day at the bakery flies as one hour as we really love what we are doing.    

The most challenging part is to balance the business and the family. We have two kids and we’ve decided to make Sundays all about playing with them and having fun with them no matter how tired we are after the work week. They give us energy, happiness and inspiration to start the new week. 

SDTC: What can we expect from you at GFG?

We’re bringing our fantastic breads – Sourdough Bread, Multi-Seeded Bread, Ryeless “Rye” Bread. The visitors of GFG will be able to taste our signature and tasty Tahini, Coconut and Chocolate Chunk cookies and some other sweets.

SDTC: What’s your favourite product that you make (at the moment, I’m sure it changes all the time), and why?

We’re very proud of every single product we have as it took a long time to make it not only delicious and gluten free, but healthy at the same time. I’m more a savoury person that’s why I really like the Mushroom Tart we offer to our customers made of sautéed mushrooms, onions and coconut milk on a delicious buttery crust. 

CONTEST!

Enter to win a pair of tickets to Gluten Free Garage by tweeting:

“Hi @Shedoesthecity! Please send me to @glu10freegarage so I can indulge in all the yummy gf goodies!”

Winner will be announced on April 25th. Good luck!

Gluten Free Garage is Toronto’s original pop-up marketplace of all things deliciously gluten free, and it’s going down on Sunday May 1st! You can buy tix and check out the vendors HERE!