PHOENIX — There’s a dash of excitement inside Knead Luv Bakery Cafe as its owners prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It has been overwhelming but such a blessing,” said owner Gladys Jahn.
Gladys and her husband David opened up the gluten-free bakery in north Phoenix off Cave Creek Road and Rose Garden Lane in 2021. They left behind successful careers in real estate and nuclear engineering to roll the dice on themselves.
“We had a lot of naysayers that said oh you can’t open a gluten-free bakery, and you’re taking too much of a risk,” said Gladys.
It's a good thing they did. The secret to their success is in a proprietary flour developed by David.
“After a lot of experimentation, we’ve come up with what we think is a really good gluten-free flour blend,” said David.
“The flour we have made is so full of moisture that this is not your typical gluten-free product,” said Gladys.
Their pastries and desserts have become so successful they caught the attention of the NFL, who is now throwing them the opportunity to be the exclusive gluten-free vendor for the upcoming Super Bowl Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center.
“We have to make food for all these people downtown and what’s it gonna do for Knead Luv,” said Gladys with excitement.
Along with an assortment of delectable desserts, they’ll be selling their gluten-free pizza and pork sandwich. Ten percent of the sales are being donated to a local nonprofit.
“It’s magic and you cannot tell our products are gluten-free,” said David.
For this budding family bakery, the magic of the Super Bowl just may score them their biggest win yet.
“It’s definitely going to be a game changer,” said Gladys with a laugh.
Gladys says they’ll soon move to a larger location at 7000 East Mayo Boulevard. For now, the NFL is using that space to sell exclusive Super Bowl 57 gear, but you’ll also find some of their desserts for sale as well.
