What we do here is very clean. We are a dedicated gluten-free kitchen. That’s what sets us apart.”

Stefani Wille, Owner-operator, Kake

KAKES GLUTEN FREE

918 S. Fry Road, Ste. 600

Web: www.Kakesketo.com

Phone: 832-321-5097

Stefani Wille, owner of Kake at 918 S. Fry Road, Ste. 600 in Katy, said she began baking gluten-free and Keto items at home to support her sons who have Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD. She’d heard that gluten-free items could help relieve the symptoms her sons faced and saw results that led to a passion for baking and making healthy treats for others with dietary restrictions.

“The issue is, a lot of keto items will have isolated wheat gluten in them, and it’s the one inflammatory – so really not clean keto. What we do here is very clean. We are a dedicated gluten-free kitchen. That’s what sets us apart,” Wille said.

Many restaurants and bakeries offer what they call “gluten-friendly” options, Wille said. But for someone with Celiac Disease – an immune disorder that causes the body to attack itself when the protein, gluten is present – cross-contamination of foods at such places is a serious concern. One minor contamination can lead to days of illness for a Celiac patient or for a gluten intolerant patient, who avoids gluten due to a food allergy or cognitive health concerns, days of illness or cognitive symptoms may follow accidental cross-contamination.

“There’s a whole community of people that I talk to every day that say, ‘I went to go get gluten-free pizza somewhere – and yes, they have a gluten-free crust, but they were taking gloves that they’ve just touched a regular pizza crust with and plunged it into the toppings before they put it on my gluten-free pizza; and, I’m a Celiac and I break down in hives or I have gastrointestinal issues and even that much gluten could cause problems for me.’”

Wille said many of the items she sells are also low-carb or low-sugar because they are sweetened with Lakanto, a monk fruit-erythritol zero-calorie blend. She said she is even willing to work with customers to customize orders if they have a sensitivity to the ingredients she has. Her only exception is that she does use nut-based flours in her cooking, so sometimes cannot accommodate those with nut allergies.

However, Wille said the baked goods at her shop aren’t just for those with specialized dietary needs. She works hard to ensure her treats have the taste and texture everyone can enjoy. From German-chocolate cupcakes with only four net carbohydrates to dark-chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies to donuts and custom-decorated cakes for special events like graduation celebrations – Wille wants anyone to be able to walk into her establishment and walk out with a dessert they can enjoy.

The bakery features a wide variety of items fancy treats including cinnamon rolls, donuts, breakfast sandwiches, pretzel dogs, dairy-free fruit and parfait cups and snickerdoodles. Not to mention, muffins, brownies and a classic – chocolate chip cookies.

Over the next few years, Wille is hoping to expand and she appears to have the means to do so. An agreement with Amazon has her and her staff producing about 20,000 Ketonia brand coconut macaroons – the top-selling Keto cookie on the Amazon website, she said. Additionally, she is hoping to open franchises in early 2022 to serve a wider customer base and make sure those with dietary restrictions can get high-quality, specialty-diet-friendly treats when needed.

Wille said the first year of business was very difficult for Kakes to survive though. Their grand opening was Nov. 2, 2019, and they’d barely gotten going when the pandemic caused shutdown orders to be issued. But, after a lot of hard work from herself and dedicated staff she said she absolutely adores, the business has made it through. Even when, from time to time, staff had to bring their children in to work on schoolwork in the front lobby while the baking got done.

“We tutored each other’s kids,” Wille said. “We were the only people we could have birthday parties with because we were together every day anyway; and, so, we were literally … each other’s only people. So, we became friends because the pandemic forced us to bond and it was actually pretty cool.”