Does your child’s school have a no baked goods policy? Finally children in Barrie, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and other areas in Ontario through delivery can now have safe baked goods for the classroom.  All of For Goodness Bakes products are free from peanut, tree-nut, dairy, egg, sesame seed, musterd seed (and all seeds) fish and shellfish and most all sulphites (except for some food color pastes). We also offer gluten free cupcakes and cakes suitable for children following a gluten free diet.

We also offer discounts on large orders placed by schools and can offer same day delivery of freshly baked products. Not only are our products allergen free but they are also preservative free.

We offer cupcakes, cookies, muffins as well as many other items. Cookies can be shipped with icing on the side to allow for kids to decorate their own cookies. Muffins are baked fresh from scratch and are loaded with fresh fruit as well as both oatmeal and bran.

Keep “For Goodness Bakes” in mind for all of your school events.

My goal when opening “For Goodness Bakes” was to offer Barrie and Simcoe County freshly baked products free from the most frequently occurring food allergens.  I was successful in ensuring all products are free from dairy, egg, peanut, treenut, sesame seeds, mustard seed (and all other seeds) fish, shellfish, as well, our products are almost 100% suplhite free. This means our delicious cakes, cupcakes and cookies are free of nine of the top 11 allergens, as listed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

As a parent of a child with severe food allergies, I find it very concerning when a business makes misleading statements about what type of services it provides and uses the term “Allergen Free”to describe their birthday and wedding cakes when they are not. At For Goodness Bakes, our baked goods are made from scratch in a dedicated allergen free facility where no allergens are allowed on the premises.

When buying school-safe and allergen free baked products for your child for your next celebration, keep these tips in minds prior to doing so consider these questions:

1. Does the bakery have allergen containing substances on the premises?
2. Is your egg free or dairy free cake being made on shared equipment and/or next to a cake containing these allergesn?
3. What experience and knowledge does your baker have in regards to understanding cross contamination and food allergies?
4. Has the bakery completed background research to ensure ingredients brought into the bakery are being produced on dedicated production lines free from your child’s allergies?
5. Does the bakery do any type of quality control testing on site to ensure the equipments, work surfaces, ingredients and finished products are free from allergens?

These are all safety measures that “For Goodness Bakes” has taken in their bakery to ensure the safety of your child’s health is not jepordized in anyway.

Don’t be misled by bakeries claiming to make you an allergen free product, in almost all cases all of the allergens of concern are on the premises which does not make for a true allergen free product. At “For Goodness Bakes” you can rest assured our menu items are 100% free from all allergens we have claimed we are free from. They are not even allowed in the bakery.

Taste the difference.

On very short notice back in the beginning of October I had a call from a mother of girl who was celebrating her birthday the following day. Her daughter “Christian” is also a vegan so she had heard about my bakery and decided to give it a try by ordering a birthday cake for her.

She called me on Monday afternoon as I was departing for the airport in Las Vegas after having enjoyed a quick jaunt away with my hubby for the weekend. She needed the birthday cake for the following day. I initally did not think it would be possible but, once confirming that she did not actually need it until the afternoon I said “absolutely”.

Her mom picked up the  vegan cake the following day on her way to meet her daughter for dinner at “Frankies Ristorante” in Uxbridge which is a speciality restuarant that caters to those that are “Gluten intolerant or have gluten allergies.” I had actually never heard of “Frankies” and have heard really quite the raves about it since and how they are also very accommodating for those with severe food allergies.

So, her daughter was thrilled with the birthday cake and her mother was most surprised as she never believed that something vegan could taste so good:

“It was really yummy! I especially liked the chocolate filling inside. My mom was surprised that something vegan could actually taste good! I have really enjoyed eating the cake—I have a piece every night, but it is so filling I can’t eat any more than that! My mom really liked the care you put into making sure it arrived safely by putting down the non-slip pad. Overall, the cake is delicious!”

Thank you for making it on such short notice and also for following up!

So, as you can see we can accomplish anything, even on short notice.
So, need a cake in a hurry, call us or email us it comes straight to us and we will always do our upmost to meet your requests.

“For Goodness Bakes” is beginning to earn its name! We believe everyone deserves a treat, that’s why we love to share stories about how we we’re able to help make that happen.

Recently Michelle, from Hamilton contacted me about her daughter “Alexis” who is 9 years old and has a severe egg allergy. Alexis hadn’t been able to enjoy a cake in  years due to her egg allergy.

Michelle decided to surprise her daughter with one of our allergen free cakes as she knew her daughter had been deprived of a special treat so many other kids get to enjoy regularly.

Alexis cake was inspired by her love of flowers and the colours pink, brown and green.    

I was able to arrange delivery through P & G Delivery, they handle all of our out-of-town deliveries.

Michelle later followed up with this feedback:

Hi Connie,

The cake came and was perfect. No damage at all. My daughter loved it. She was so excited and loved the design you made on the cake. I want to tell you that you have a real talent. The cake was so beautiful and tasted really good for an eggless cake. So light and fluffy. I have given out your name to my sister who has a special child as well. She was going to get in contact with you when she comes home from her holiday. I will be in touch and I will be ordering from you on a regular basis.

Thank you so much again.
Michelle

As parent’s of a child with severe food allergies, we know that Halloween can be a very scary celebration. We are always careful to scan every piece of candy that he comes home with when out trick or treating to ensure there are no traces of allergens. I know some parents choose to avoid it all together and host a party for their children.

Don’t be scared this Halloween, enjoy a peanut, treenut, sesame seed, egg, dairy, and WORRY FREE Halloween party with one of our:
- 6 inch round or oval 2 layer cakes covered with butter cream and rolled fondant decorated in a Halloween theme such as this ghost $25
- or a dozen custom decorated Halloween cupcakes for $20.

Please place your order online or call us 705-309-BAKE(2253). Happy Halloween.

I recently had a chance to be a guest on Rogers TV Daytime show in Simcoe County on October 8th, 2009. I’ve also recently appeared on KOOL-FM, and in the Barrie Examiner and Barrie Advance.

All of this media coverage is a great opportunity to help raise awareness of food allergies and the challenges that those affected by them face on a a day to day basis. Not only do I want to be able to provide safe treats for the majority of food allergic children and adults but, I also want to provide people with factual information about food allergies so that more people will begin to understand them and appreciate the need for strict, no cross contamination of food allergens.

I really enjoyed giving Daytime host Jennifer Robinson a quick lesson on decorating techniques for Halloween themed cakes, as well as Shawn a chance to decorate a cupcake with a ghost on top, well they say ghosts come in all shapes and sizes.

Appearing on Rogers was a great opportunity to showcase our baked goods to viewers but also to allow for staff and volunteers (outstanding students from North Collegiate) at Rogers to sample my products so they could see for themselves just how tasty allergen free baking can be.

Since launching our allergen-free bakery, the most frequent questions I am asked pertain to dairy allergies. Many people ask whether the cocoa we use is also dairy free. I am happy to report that we have begun in-house allergen testing. A representative from Biopharm did testing for dairy in our dedicated allergen free facility, and all results were negative.

In the next few months I will continue to complete rigorous testing for all allergens, but I choose to start with dairy as it was, from a customer standpoint, the one concern I felt needed the most immediate response, especially for individuals worried about giving new products to children with severe food allergies. Allergy to cows’ milk is the most common food allergy in childhood, and affects 2-7% of babies under one year old.

In addition, the cocoa that I purchase is produced in factory that made the following statement “we are peanut and legume, soy, egg, dairy/milk, wheat/corn/oat, seeds, tree nuts, and seafood free!” So, hopefully this strong commitment will further put some fears to rest.

Not only do I ensure that no allergens come into the bakery, but that I complete extensive research into the background information on all products to ensure that no cross contimination has occured in the manufacturing process.

We have had some great reviews over the past few weeks and customers are loving our allergen free products . If you have any additional questions or concerns please contact us.

Photo courtesy Andreas Blixt

For Goodness Bakes was featured in The Barrie Advance

October 06, 2009

Connie Positano believes that having a food allergy is no reason not to enjoy a sweet treat once in awhile.

Positano is the owner/operator of For Goodness Bakes, a peanut, tree nut, egg, dairy and seed-free bakery offering cakes, cupcakes and cookies.

“To be honest, I hated to bake, but when my son developed a peanut allergy, which led to other food allergies, I rolled up my sleeves and went to work,” she said.

Positano was encouraged to start baking at home after noticing a lack of allergy-free products at local coffee shops.

“When you take any kid out, they are going to want a treat, but I couldn’t just buy any cupcake because who knew if it had come in contact with nuts,” she said. “It’s not just about the ingredients, it’s about whether or not that cupcake was made on the same line as one of the products.”

While many local bakeries can do special orders for peanut-free, or other ingredient-free cakes, not all products are free of all allergens.

Positano decided to make a career change from nurse to baker. She took cake-decorating classes, did a lot of research, and by trial and error, created her recipes.

The new baker also offers breads, buns and cinnamon buns, all made to order.

“It’s hard to find fresh baked bread that hasn’t come in contact with seeds,” she said.

Positano is also working towards offering gluten-free items in the next few weeks.

“I’ll admit, I love baking now,” she said. “I love making the different decorations, I love planning a wedding cake with a customer. I’ve always got something in the oven.”

For Goodness Bakes is located in downtown Barrie. For now, customers can call the bakery or place an order through the website. Directors for pick-up will be provided. For Goodness Bakes also offers delivery for a small fee.

In the future, Positano is hoping to get her items into local coffee shops and restaurants so anyone with an allergy can grab a treat.

For more information or to place an order, call 309-BAKE or visit www.forgoodnessbakes.ca.

New Barrie Bakery Caters to Severe Food Allergies

Barrie, ON – If your child suffers from food allergies, you can pack them a nutritious lunch, but it probably lacks the same pizzazz found in everyone else’s brown bag. A new local bakery is looking to fix that.

“I want to see the smile on every little boy and girl, with food allergies, when they take their first bite,” said Connie Positano, the Owner/Operator of For Goodness Bakes.

Positano’s son, Carter, was born in 2004 and as he grew, so did the list of foods he couldn’t eat. He was the catalyst for Positano to start experimenting with baking without using any egg, dairy, peanut, or tree-nut products. She soon mastered her craft, and saw the need for an allergen-free bakery in Barrie.

“With For Goodness Bakes, I want to ensure my son can have a treat equally as tasteful and eye catching as anything purchased at a bakery some other child might be enjoying next to him. I want to make sure he never feels left out.”

Everything on For Goodness Bakes’ menu is free of seven of the top ten food allergies as listed by www.anaphylaxis.org. The bakery is particularly mindful of any risk of cross contamination. Extensive research was done to ensure that all of their supplies are made in dedicated factories, without any cross contamination of allergens. Product information sheets are available on each ingredient in use.

Their treats and products are made to order, as they offer local delivery or convenient pick-up from a facility in downtown Barrie. They offer a tasty variety of cakes and cupcakes, and can even custom make wedding cakes and desserts for special occasions.
For more information on For Goodness Bakes, or to view their menu, please visit www.forgoodnessbakes.ca.

Facts about Food Allergies (A.K.A Anaphylaxis):

• Approximately 1-2 percent of Canadians live with the risk of an anaphylactic reaction
• The number of Canadian children at risk of an anaphylactic reaction caused by food is increasing
• More than 50 percent of Canadians know someone with a life-threatening allergy.
• Although anaphylaxis is most often diagnosed in childhood, it can also develop later in life.

Source http://www.anaphylaxis.org/

Fall is a very special time of year when you get to savour the bounty of the summer. So many fruits and vegetables fill the markets and colourful gourds make us think about Halloween just around corner.

For Canadians, this is the time when we celebrate Thanksgiving. Typically we share a very special meal with family and friends. These cupcakes we’re inspired by the changing colours of the leaves and are a great way to celebrate the fall.

If you would like to treat your guests to a celebration of fall or looking for a great host(ess) gift, then order our fall cupcakes for any special occasion or for your Thanksgiving celebration no later than October 8.

Buy 6 custom fall cupcakes for $12 and get 6 free or Order an 8-inch custom cake for any occasion and get a gift certificate for a free order for 6 cupcakes!