We understand Celiac disease and food allergies!
Jewel's Specialty Food Market is owned and operated by the LaValle family. Dennis and Julie LaValle also own North Central Medical Supply in Brainerd, MN.
Their son Eric was diagnosed with Celiac disease at age 24. After his diagnosis, they began carrying a very limited stock of gluten-free items in their store. The demand for gluten-free foods in the store began to steadily increase, until it became clear that a separate grocery store was needed.
Dennis and Julie's daughter, Amy LaValle Hansmann, is the co-owner and general manager of Jewel's. Although she does not have Celiac disease, her efforts to find gluten-free dishes to make for family get-togethers have made her very familiar with the gluten-free diet, and the challenges associated with shopping for gluten-free food.
"Specialty" Foods?
Although our store has a gluten-free focus, we have heard from many people in our community who have food allergy issues and have similar difficulty shopping for safe foods. Because of this, we've decided to carry many products that are "top 8" allergen free as well. We also carry vegan and sugar free items, as well as many organic products.
Every product in our store is clearly marked so that shoppers can easily find which foods are safe for them. We realize that many people have allergies or sensitivities to several different kinds of food, so we're trying to make it as easy as possible for our customers to find the products they need without spending hours reading ingredient labels.
We also recognize the difficulty parents have when trying to find safe yet delicious foods that their children will actually eat. Therefore we've been endlessly searching for "kid friendly" products to make your life a little easier at meal times.
Who is Jewel?
Jewel Herder was Julie's mom and Amy & Eric's grandma. She and her husband Lawrence owned the Deauville Supper Club in Lakeshore, MN in the 1950's and 60's. During the 80's, she taught food service skills at the Brainerd Vocational-Technical College. As a diabetic, she understood the challenge of making foods that were nutritious while still tasting good. Although she passed away in 1997, we know that this store is something she would have loved to be involved with.
We're here to help!
Like you, we understand how overwhelming it is to be starting out on a restricted diet, and we know how difficult it is to find stores where the employees recognize words like "gluten free" and "cross contamination." We will do our best to make sure all of your questions are answered, and will do whatever we can to help you. If you are looking for a particular product that we don't carry, we will make it our mission to get it for you if at all possible. We are more than your typical grocery store!
Jewel's Specialty Food Market
7822 Fairview Road, Suite 95
Baxter, Minnesota 56425
info@jewelsfoodmarket.com
|
|
