A gluten-free, mostly-vegan bakery is opening after successful run as a Sacramento-area pop-up

The Caring Kitchen quickly blossomed from Delaney Polidori’s house in late 2020. Now it’s getting a home of its own.

Polidori plans to open her gluten-free bakery in Rancho Cordova as early March, she told The Sacramento Bee on Thursday. It’ll be a 686-square-foot unit at 3084 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 15.

All of Polidori’s baked goods are safe even for people who, like her, have celiac disease. She hopes to eventually make The Caring Kitchen 100% vegan as well. She still uses dairy and eggs for keto-friendly options.

She discovered her business opportunity after an October 2020 trip to Apple Hill. Polidori and her mom came back with excess fruit, and asked in a local Facebook group if anyone wanted to buy gluten-free apple pies. Three weeks later, they had 120 orders to fill.

“I wasn’t expecting to start a business, honestly. I kinda just made a post, put some feelers out there and had a crazy amount of people respond that were either celiac or had some sort of gluten sensitivity,” Polidori said.

Sales tripled over the last year, Polidori said, as The Caring Kitchen did a brisk business at farmers markets and selling from her Folsom home. The menu rotates weekly, but items such as cookie sandwiches and cupcakes have been popular in the past, Polidori said.

Background: The Caring Kitchen has been Delany Polidori’s gluten-free, mostly-vegan home bakery since October 2020. It’ll open a brick-and-mortar location in early March, Polidori announced Thursday.

What to look for: Cookie sandwiches, like ice cream sandwiches but with a layer of frosting in the middle. Past flavors have included chocolate peppermint, strawberries-and-cream and cranberry.

Where: 3084 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 15, Rancho Cordova.

Hours: Not yet set, but likely Friday-Sunday for the first month or two until fully staffed.