Cherbourg Cyprus opens gluten-free bakery in OTR – Cincinnati.com

Gluten-free baked goods from Cherbourg Bakery of Columbus(Photo: Provided)

There are Cincinnatians who drive to Columbus to shop at Cherbourg Bakery for gluten-free and nut-free baked goods.

Their drive is going to get much shorter.

A second Cherbourg gluten- and nut-free bakery will open this summer in Over-the-Rhine at 1804 Race Street. That's across from Findlay Market, in the block being developed by Model Group and including the Epicurean Mercantile Company.This location will be called Cherbourg Cyprus and will feature Mediterranean flavors.

Cherbourg has been open in Bexley for the last six years. Geri Peacock started the bakery after finding she had celiac disease 10 years ago. That's a disease in which the body launches an auto-immune response to the protein in wheat and a few other grains, damaging itsability to absorbnutrients.

"At first, I just ate fish and yogurt," said Peacock. But she missed baked goods. "My grandmother's Hungarian, my mother's Italian. I had to have a cookie!"She experimented with one kind of flour substitute at a time until she hit on one that worked best: white rice flour and a little tapioca. She made her hobby a business, leaving her job as operations manager for a staffing company to open the bakery. It's named for Cherbourg, a city in France that her grandfather helped liberate in World War II.

"We try to be the cleanest gluten-free we can," she said. They do not use added ingredients that are often found in gluten-free products such as guar or xanthan gum." Peacock said they use organic butter from Ohio's Hartzler Dairy, and good eggs. They're nut-free because nut allergies seem to run in families with gluten sensitivities.

"So often someone says I can't eat gluten and my children can't eat nuts," she said. "They'll find us, and that makes us very happy."

Their menu includes very a popular double-lemon bar, made with lemon juice, pulp and zest. They have doughnuts, muffins and cookies. They also serve strata and quiche. Peacock said they're also known for their extreme friendliness.

In Cincinnati, additions inspired by Cyprus, which is half-Greek, half-Turkish, include shakshuka, a dish of eggs poached in tomatoes and peppers, Greek quiche in little boat-shaped pie crusts, Greek pastries like loukoumades and ricotta cookies, an Italian recipe from Peacock's mother.

The OTR store, at 1,300 square feet, will be twice the size of their Bexley location, with seating at booths and a long, communal table. They'll serve pour-over coffee from local coffee roaster Deeper Roots. Peacock thinks they'll be ready to open in early July. They've planned a pop-up event for June 29.www.cherbourgbakery.com

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Cherbourg Cyprus opens gluten-free bakery in OTR - Cincinnati.com