Gluten-free bakery makes bread beautiful

When you're gluten-intolerant, the world is not such a beautiful place. But that's changing for those in the Summerlin area.

Beau Monde Bakery has opened at 2380 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 110, on the southeast corner of Smoke Ranch Road. The name means "beautiful world," apropos as it's a gluten-free bakery.

As a former nurse, owner/operator Melissa Zimmerman has come across many people who have to deal with celiac disease, also called gluten intolerance. Such people deal with its effects every day, at every meal.

"I worked in ICU; my husband is a gastroenterologist," she said. "We saw a need."

Even though her business is new, Zimmerman almost immediately began taking special orders for gluten-free cakes for birthdays and other special occasions.

Sarah Caldara frequents Beau Monde. Her 11-year-old daughter has respiratory seasonal allergies, and gluten exacerbates the condition. Caldara said the bakery has easy-to-digest breads that taste good.

"Another thing I like about it is it's preservative-free," Caldara said.

Kimberly Brown is another fan. She put up with feeling lethargic and bloated for years until she was diagnosed as glucose-intolerant. But her own attempts at baking gluten-free, she said, resulted in things that were "gritty and disgusting ... now I go to Beau Monde for everything."

Those with celiac disease have trouble absorbing nutrients due to villi, hair-like projections in the small intestine, that have been damaged by gluten. Gluten is a common ingredient in breads and pastries.

The 2,200-square-foot Beau Monde Bakery opened Aug. 2. While much of the business sees patrons stopping in to buy a loaf of bread and leaving, its cozy corner seating invites others to grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile. Outside, there's just enough room for two tables on the patio.

Beau Monde's offerings include artisan bread, ground flax, Italian flatbread and cinnamon raisin bread, as well as cupcakes, coffee cake, Callebaut brownies and chocolate chip cookies.

People with celiac disease "felt they had to settle for so long," the owner said. "Now they don't have to settle any more."

The bakery's Italian flatbread already is proving to be a top seller. Most people, Zimmerman said, dredge it in olive oil before popping it in their mouths.

"When they taste it, the spices hit them," she said. "It's got rosemary and thyme. It's a soft, tender bread."

Zimmerman chose the Desert Shores area because it's easily accessible from the freeway and she and her family live nearby.

"Being a mom kept her at home, but she was looking to get back into the real world," said Dr. Michael Zimmerman, her husband, of her new venture.

Melissa Zimmerman said customers have come to her crying as they thanked her for bringing them baked goods their systems can tolerate.

"I miss nursing, but I'm helping people by doing this," she said.

Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 331-1515 or visit beaumondebakery.com.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.