GFY is an Austin, TX based, gluten-free bakery born from the heart of A man on a mission to find bread & baked goods that didn’t make his mouth miss wheat based products ever again. We think he nailed it. So do our customers (even the ones that eat gluten).
The purpose of GFY is to demonstrate how delicious & healthy gluten-free foods can be when prepared with integrity and love. We provide vital daily goodness through the bread experience you have been missing until now. It’s about the chew ya’ll. The chew.
Our crusty, soft, buttery (or not! check out our vegan GOLD and DABO lines) and eye-popping pastries are all baked from our proprietary gluten-free, nut-free, flour blends. We take quality, health and sustainable environmental practices into consideration at every step. Unlike most gluten-free brands you’ll find in stores today our products do not contain any preservatives, artificial ingredients, palm oil, canola oil, or corn flour. Ingredients are minimally stored and processed, organic whenever possible and are prepared with care and pride. Just like your local, small town, neighborhood bakery.
You can find us every week at local Central Texas farmer’s markets, in select stores and restaurants, delivered to your door, or if you’re outside of the greater Austin area we can ship our yummies to ya throughout the contiguous United States.
Gluten-free doesn’t mean what it used to. Try us, you’ll see.
LOCAL PICKUP + DELIVERY
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FIND US IN RETAIL STORES
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BUNDLES SHIPPED ACROSS U.S.
How I became obsessed with gluten-free baking…
One sunny afternoon in Hoboken New Jersey, I was returning from a marathon training run, when I began experiencing a dizzying and itchy feeling. It was definitely NOT a runner’s high. I knew this because I had experienced this once before. The first time it happened was a late night in Hoboken. I was out running in my insulated running suit, with my mp3 player, and my head shaven; training for a marathon (I’d never run one before). I was returning from my longest run of 16 miles. I was at the top of a long on ramp when I started to feel dizzy and tingly.
At first, I thought this was the elusive runner’s high. But I was uncomfortable and exhausted. I tried to shake it off and when I got to the bottom of the on ramp I decided I should sit and recover. I sat on a short, white construction wall. That was the last thing I remembered. When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the sidewalk, curled in a fetal position. I don’t know how long I was there, but I remember thinking, that’s surprising, I thought I was home in bed, curled under some warm blankets.
I was sweaty and disoriented. I got up and noticed there was a CVS. It was only one block away. So in my nauseated stupor, I stumbled in the darkness of the late evening, straight to the CVS. I collapsed at the entrance. Gathered my composure and stumbled into the silent box store. I turned towards the check out counter imagining I would address the cashier, asking if they could call me a taxi to go home. What actually happened is that I completely trashed the well-organized candy trays stacked in front of the counter and crumbled to floor once again. I could see the cashier’s eyes as I fell, observing me like I was a drunken mess or cracked out maniac ruining their night.
On this night of nights, a beautiful miracle. A marine medic and a local nurse were independently shopping at the CVS and offered to help me. Two amazing angels that I never got to meet, or thank. After feeding me electrolytes and protein bars, to help me remain conscious, they talked to me until the ambulance arrived. The diagnosis, or the misdiagnosis and consensus of all the emergency medical individuals who treated me was your run-of-the-mill dehydration. After having slept off my dehydration prognosis, I was prescribed to always remain hydrated.
So, when I started to feel the same sensations on this run, I knew I needed medical attention. Fortunately for me, directly on my return route home was the local hospital. It was only two blocks away. So, I ran straight into the emergency room and explained my symptoms. The nurse brought me in for an evaluation and began taking my vitals. While she was recording my blood pressure and pulse, I collapsed off my seat and began convulsing violently. I never had a seizure before in my life. I’ve always been physically active, wasn’t a smoker and maintained a fairly healthy diet. No one in my family had any history of epilepsy, or any degenerative muscular disease.
The doctors were fascinated and wanted to study me like a new lab toy. I was taken in for observations and put on an IV drip. After a battery of medical tests (EKGs, MRIs, CAT scans) and a week in an urgent care hospital bed, I was released to an allergist who diagnosed me with a rare condition known as exercise induced anaphylaxis triggered by gluten. My new prescription was abstinence from wheat, shell fish and chocolate. My prize was a script for an epipen. I learned quickly and the hard way about the limited gluten-free options our community had available to us back then. I had to abstain from most of my favorite foods. No more pasta, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, bagels, or Italian bread. It was depressing to say the least.
Soon after, and exhausted by the inferior gluten-free alternatives of the foods I loved growing up, I decided to explore making my own gluten-free flour blends. Once I developed some reliable flour blends; I began creating recipes and set my sights on taking over the gluten-free bakery world… (or at a minimum, the gluten-free community in Austin, TX :) Still to this day, I explore new recipes and flour blends. I’m always looking to perfect this craft. I may not have been born, bred, or classically trained to be a baker, but it’s definitely my passion. My hope is that you always taste that inspiration in every bite.
- Elias
QUALITY COUNTS
Ingredients
Everything we bake is from scratch; starting with our flour blends, which we produce daily. There’s nothing prepackaged about our dedication to health-filled foods. The impact of our operations on our local and global communities is immensely important to us.
We source all of our gluten-free flours from certified gluten-free producers. Wherever possible, we source local ingredients (like farm raised, organic eggs and local organic honey). Where available, we use organic ingredients to avoid unwanted synthetic fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides from spoiling the integrity of our product standards. Trust me, we read food labels too. We know that what goes in your final meal plan is paramount to your food experience and key to the health benefits.
Packaging consciousNESS
We are constantly learning and evolving. We know plastic is a real world problem. We do our best to limit the negative impact we have on marine life, our landfills and ultimately our world’s climate. That is why, we try to source earth-friendly, biodegradable, compostable packaging materials. We aren’t 100% there yet, but as we continue to grow and expand our reach, you can rest assured, we will introduce creative ways to limit our use of plastic packaging materials.
Reducing plastic usage is an important endeavor for us all to partake in. If managing plastic consumption is a mission that is important to you; reach out to your local government, or favorite food establishment and let them know. If they are already making a concerted effort to do their part, let them know you appreciate the measures they are taking. Collaborative change and a positive attitude makes a world of difference.
We can all do our part by adopting ethical habits and routines around our consumption practices. Shop intelligently. Bring your own reusable bag to grocery shop. Limit the use of single-use products (things like plastic bottled water, straws and utensils, as well as Styrofoam to-go containers). Remember to recycle, reuse + repurpose every where possible.
Mother Earth thanks you.