New bake shop holds the gluten

Bakery’s offerings a healthy alternative

By Mason Roberts | Manor Ink

Callicoon, NY – There is a unique cooperative in this hamlet called the Callicoon Marketplace. It is a space on Lower Main Street that provides a location for both permanent and pop-up businesses.

In the Marketplace is a special shop called County Road Bakery. The bakery specializes in creating delicious gluten-free and nut-free products in a celiac-safe kitchen. For those who don’t know, celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in the small intestine and is triggered by wheat gluten, damaging the small intestine and preventing sufferers from digesting food properly.

The goal of the Country Road is to create a shop where no one feels penalized for their allergies while enjoying baked goods like cupcakes and breads made from fresh and safe locally-sourced ingredients. Additionally, the bakery wants to provide delicious alternative treats for the community at fair and affordable prices.

Alex Matsu, Country Road Bakery’s founder, is a professional baker who expanded her skills by helping summer camps design gluten-free meal options for allergic campers. The idea behind County Road Bakery was originally developed by Matsu during the COVID pandemic. She realized that because people with allergies, cancer or other illnesses did not feel comfortable leaving their homes, she started a gluten-free delivery service. Later, the bakery’s baked goods became a regular item at various farmer’s markets around Sullivan County.

Today, the shop in Callicoon Marketplace is managed by Karen Greenberg and Phil Matsu. Cookie after cookie and cake after cake, this family business continues to grow and continues to provide delicious gluten-free and nut-free bakery products for all to enjoy.

During the holiday season, you may want to stop in at their Callicoon Marketplace location and pick up some celiac-safe holiday favorites such as apple cider donuts and cherry muffins.