Paris’s ubiquitous corner boulangeries have long been temples to gluten, with their baguettes, croissants and decadent patisseries. And yet, of all food trends, it is gluten-free that is taking hold. In Paris, you can now find bakeries selling breads and sweet creations made, as the French say, “sans gluten.” Specialized cafes offer gluten-free sandwiches, and gluten-free goods have taken over their own aisle at the supermarket.
The city’s gluten-free pioneer is the pastry chef Marie Tagliaferro, who along with her husband, François, opened Helmut Newcake (helmutnewcake.com), a pastry shop less than a 10-minute walk from the Galeries Lafayette in the Ninth Arrondissement. Ms. Tagliaferro was given a diagnosis of celiac disease while attending pastry school and wanted to offer gluten-free alternatives of French classics to people like her who can’t eat wheat. She now makes delicate fruit tarts and éclairs and even the cream-filled double-decker religieuses typical of the traditional boulangerie. Lauded for taste and texture that is indistinguishable from their gluten-dependent cousins, her take on the classics have brought tears of joy, literally, to gluten-averse customers.
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