During this difficult time, everybody is rushing out of their homes to the supermarkets to stock up on food and household goods. There’s normally enough to go around under usual circumstances, but during a crisis, people kick into panic-buying mode taking way more than their fair share. People with Celiac disease and living gluten-free lifestyles are especially being hard hit because there are already so little products on the shelf for them.

Chef Lila Colello, the owner of Flakely Gluten-Free, a Celiac disease sufferer herself, is making sure gluten-free people are not being left behind. She’s ramped up production and touch-free delivery efforts to service customers at home with gluten-free bread and croissants in the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas. Even going so far to meet in supermarket parking lots, putting their box of goods on the car hood (wearing gloves of course), and walking a comfortable six feet away.

“I’m taking this situation very seriously,” says Colello. “It’s been so rewarding to get bread to celiac folks and their families when no one can find food on the shelves!”

The Main Line area-based Flakely officially launched in 2019 and it has been servicing individuals, restaurants, and cafes in the Greater Philadelphia area with patented gluten-free French pastries such as croissants, brioche bread, puff pastry sheets, and more.

Chef Lila is also donating bread to those in need during this most challenging time. With so many food service workers and others out of jobs at the moment, she wants to ensure the laid-off and furloughed gluten-free population is getting what they need to sustain themselves.

Gluten-free customers can order brioche buns, loaves of brioche bread, and all-butter croissants. An order of 8 brioche buns costs $20.00, an order of 2 loaves of brioche bread costs $20, and a case of 16 gluten-free croissants costs $48.

Orders can be placed through Facebook, calling 484-450-6576 or emailing info@flakelygf.com.

Resources for Celiac disease suffers or gluten-free people during COVID-19:

• Celiac Disease Center
• Celiac Disease Foundation
• Beyond Celiac