Dessert lovers with food sensitivities will soon have a new option for tasty treats in the City of Rancho Cordova with the opening of a popular bakery called The Caring Kitchen.

The bakery is owned and operated by lifelong baker and Folsom resident Delaney Polidori. She started selling gluten-free baked goods out of her home and at farmers markets in 2020, after her social media post describing homemade gluten-free apple pies generated buzz region-wide.

In the years since, the bakery has outgrown the Polidori family home with its rapidly expanding customer base. The Caring Kitchen will open its doors March 18 at 3084 Sunrise Boulevard, Suite 15 in Rancho Cordova as soon as the first weekend in March. Learn more about The Caring Kitchen in this Q&A with Delaney.

Q: Your upcoming grand opening in Rancho Cordova has been getting a lot of buzz. Why did you select the city as your bakery’s new storefront, and what are you most excited for?

A: I have customers throughout the Sacramento region, and Rancho Cordova is central and close to where I live in Folsom. It’s a happy medium. I’m excited to have my own commercial kitchen and retail space. It will enable to me to bake more efficiently and serve more customers.
 
Q: You’ve come a long way since baking those first gluten-free apple pies and putting out feelers on social media. What was it like to get so many responses, and what are you most proud of?

A: It was seriously shocking. It made me realize that there are so many people out there with different food allergies and sensitivities and how great of a need there is for something like this in the area. I’m probably proudest of how much my business has grown in a short amount of time, especially running it from my home. I’m also proud of the products I’ve created because every single recipe has taken so much time to develop.

Q: You’ve shared that you suffer from Celiac disease, otherwise known as intolerance to gluten. Did your adjustment to the diagnosis inspire you to develop gluten-free alternatives?

A: Yes. I probably never would have learned to bake gluten-free if I wasn’t forced to. I had been baking since I was a kid, but when I got that diagnosis, I had to completely re-learn how to bake. I was also a vegan at the time, so I had to learn to cook and bake gluten-free and vegan, which was a frustrating process that took years to perfect.
 
Q: You don’t have to answer this question if it reveals a secret recipe, but how are you able to make your baked goods taste just as good as the real thing?

A: I’m probably most known by customers for my cookie sandwiches, but I make a little bit of everything. I use several different gluten-free flour blends for my recipes. Most of them consist of rice flour, sorghum flour and different starches used as a binder to take the place of gluten. There really has been a lot of trial and error. I’m in the process of figuring out what will be “regulars” on the menu.

Favorite place in Rancho Cordova? Heart Craft Studio

Who/what inspires you? Walt Disney

Favorite item to bake? Cake

Favorite quote? “Never tell me the odds.” - Han Solo

To stay updated on The Caring Kitchen’s opening and offerings, follow them on Instagram and Facebook @TheCaringKitchenFolsom or subscribe to their email newsletter at TheCaringKitchenFolsom.com. For more business news in Rancho Cordova, sign up for the city’s e-news at CityofRanchoCordova.org/ENews.