Simsbury Resident and Her Sister Opening Gluten-Free Bakery in Avon

AVON, CT — A new gluten-free bakery in Avon stems from a dream sisters Karen Gauvain of Simsbury and Lynn Seery of Bristol have always had about going into business together.

And this summer they are making that dream a reality with the scheduled opening of Pure Love Bakery on Simsbury Road.

Both women have a culinary background that spans more than 35 years combined. Gauvain is a trained chef and Seery specializes in pastry). They worked in the same kitchen at several points throughout their careers, but it wasn’t until Seery was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015 that they seriously revisited the idea of opening their own establishment.

“Watching my sister beat cancer was a wakeup call. We realized life was too short, and we had always talked about going into business together. We decided that once Lynn finished treatment and was back on her feet, we’d make the leap and go out on our own,” Gauvain said.

In her spare time, Gauvain was already making and selling her line of Pure Love gluten-free and vegan granola, a culinary passion project that blossomed from just one flavor in 2013 to now more than 35 flavors.

Seery was also flexing her gluten-free muscles in the kitchen after being diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease in 2010. It was a difficult transition for the pastry chef who was surrounded by and covered in her allergen all day long.

“It was a lot of trial and error at first, but eventually, I was able to use my culinary training to create gluten free breads, muffins and other treats that actually tasted as good – if not better – than the originals. Karen and I thought we could combine my gluten free baking with her vegan and gluten free granola to meet a tremendous need in the Farmington Valley,” Seery said.

With that, Pure Love Bakery was born, and it is scheduled to officially open its doors on Tuesday, August 9 at 8 AM.

The storefront is located at 136 Simsbury Road, Avon, in the Riverdale Farms Shopping Plaza.

The entirely gluten-free facility will be open Tuesday through Saturday for the summer, and hours will be posted on the company’s Facebook page (Pure Love Gluten Free Bakery).

Product offerings include bulk and packaged granola, gluten free English muffins, bagels, bread, pizza dough, cookies, brownies, coffee cake and donuts.

All items are gluten-free, and the granola is gluten free and vegan. Pure Love will also offer made to order parfaits and grab-and-go oatmeal cups featuring local, seasonal ingredients such as Hastings Farm yogurt made in Suffield.

The bakery will also feature items from other Connecticut purveyors, including local art, tea, honey, preserves and popcorn. For more information, visit the company’s Web site www.purelovebakery.com, or follow Pure Love Granola on Facebook and Instagram, and Pure Love Gluten Free Bakery on Facebook.