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Buttery, flaky, creamy, sweet: The pure pleasure of treating yourself to a handcrafted pastry is undeniable.
But for people diagnosed with celiac disease (and other forms of gluten intolerance), that pleasure can be hard to come by. This was Amy Decker Cornell’s experience when she and her family moved to the Nashville area a couple of years ago. Dismayed by meager access to gluten-free baked goods, she decided to “be the change you wish to see.” Having grown up in a family of home bakers, Cornell was comfortable honing recipes and converting them to gluten-free status. She began experimenting with alternative flours, mixing and blending them until she found the texture and taste she wanted.
“I spent two years working on my cinnamon rolls before I achieved perfection,” Cornell says. “When the flour blends and the baking are done right, you can’t tell that the pastries are gluten-free.”
Her successes empowered her to make the leap and open The Gluten-Free Goose in South Nashville. Whether you have gluten sensitivities or not—life is much sweeter in her shop.
“The Gluten-Free Goose is my vision, but I am not a professional baker,” Cornell says. “I am grateful to the pastry chefs I have hired—Eun Young ( Jubi) Lee and Caitlyn Rau. These women are doing an amazing job executing beautiful and delicious cakes, tarts, muffins, pastries, scones, entremets, you name it!”
Both women come with stellar resumes: A Johnson and Wales graduate, Chef Lee worked for many years at the Four Seasons Washington DC. Chef Rau was the lead pastry chef at the Hotel Hershey and, more recently, executive pastry chef at The 404 Kitchen in the Gulch.
The proof, they say, is in the pudding—or, in this case, the cookie, cake, pie, or pastry. Cream puffs are light, crisp, and airy—the perfect foil for the vanilla or chocolate cream fillings. The guava cream cheese pastry is flaky. Coffee-dipped, gluten-free ladyfingers work well in the Tiramisu, anchoring the whipped mascarpone with the right texture and taste. The cakes are stunners, and you can get a sense of what they are like when you order the bakery’s signature cake jars. These come in an array of flavors, with the layering visible through the glass. Rounds of lemon-olive oil cake are spread with lemon curd and Chantilly cream and finished with fresh blackberries. The Opera boasts luscious dark chocolate cake brushed with coffee syrup, stacked with salted caramel mousse, coffee buttercream, hazelnut, and pecan praline. Oreo cheesecake, Cornell’s current favorite, has white chocolate Chantilly cream at the base, followed by chocolate crumbs that taste just like the famous cookie, then dreamy-smooth vanilla cheesecake.
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Gluten-free “Hostess” cupcakes? Indeed, the Goose’s tap into childhood nostalgia, down to the marshmallow buttercream filling and the signature white loops across the chocolate top coating. You can feel secure coming into the bakery because Cornell and her staff are committed to full transparency at this 100 percent gluten- free, wheat-free, peanut-free facility. The place is pristine. Every effort is made to avoid cross- contamination. (Cornell had the shop—a former pizzeria—thoroughly cleansed, floor-to-ceiling, before renovating the space for the bakery.) They do use dairy, eggs, tree nuts, corn, and soy in many recipes. (But no almond flour—Cornell does not care for it!) If you are uncertain, or have a particular allergy, no worries. They maintain a binder holding an extensive list of all ingredients they use in each recipe for anyone to check out.
“As a celiac, I understand people’s concerns for their health. The protocol is to keep people safe,” says Cornell. That dedication has earned her a certification from The Gluten-Free Food Program, which is endorsed by the National Celiac Association. And she’s garnered great support from the celiac and gluten-free community—on opening day the line of excited diners circled around the block! However, she reminds, The Gluten-Free Goose is inclusive, offering a number of vegan and dairy-free items that are, of course, also gluten-free. If you don’t follow these diets, no matter: you’ll get the same soulful comfort and enjoyment as you would from traditional baked goods.
Cornell says, “We all deserve good, delicious, luxurious things to eat.” (6601 Sugar Valley Dr., Ste. 115, 615-819-2143; gfgoose.com)