Sweet Marie’s is a champion of gluten-free cuisine. Kaua‘i’s first 100 percent dedicated gluten free bakery and restaurant is packed with a wide range of scrumptious pastries, healthy breakfast dishes and an all-new line of “sophisticated fast foods.” Owner Marie
Sweet Marie’s is a champion of gluten-free cuisine. Kaua‘i’s first 100 percent dedicated gluten free bakery and restaurant is packed with a wide range of scrumptious pastries, healthy breakfast dishes and an all-new line of “sophisticated fast foods.”
Owner Marie Cassel said she decided to cater to people who can’t have foods that contain gluten, after being diagnosed with a condition that prevents her from absorbing wheat.
“This is a dedicated gluten-free and allergen-friendly bakery and restaurant,” she said. “I was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue many years ago. It is an auto-immune disease of the intestines.”
Cassel is gearing her business toward manufacturing, catering and wholesale. She currently distributes her goods to St. Regis and Banana Joe’s.
“I would love to be in more hotels in the island,” Cassel said. “I have a demand for my products from visitors and locals. As far as manufacturing, I do a lot of shipping off island — a lot of people like to order my products from my website.”
Sweet Marie’s offers a healthy approach to fast food. Cassel calls it “sophisticated fast foods,” but this isn’t your typical fare of burgers and fries. She said would like customers to place lunch orders in the morning or the day before, and is trying to pull a larger local clientele.
“In order to do that, the best thing is for businesses around here to have sophisticated fast food,” she said. “People aren’t having the healthiest food at lunch around. It’s better for everyone to eat something healthier and around the same price that’s an alternative to unhealthy food.”
Cassel’s restaurant has some of the finest gluten-free dishes on the island. She shops at local farmers’ markets and handpicks her ingredients.
The house-made granola sells for $8.99 for an 8 ounce bag, and $17.99 for a 24 ounce bag.
“Its got organic coconut oil, organic gluten-free oats, Kaua’i grown macadamia nuts, coconut and almonds,” Cassel said.
The Hawaiian-style barbecue pork ribs, “moist and tender and delicious,” sells for $9.99. It is baked to perfection and served on a bed of oven-fried brown rice and seasonal vegetables.
“You should come back and have them for lunch, or we’ll give you a sophisticated fast food takeout,” Cassel said. “I sear the ribs and they’re slow-cooked in my oven for three hours. I put lots of love into those ribs.”
After the barbecue ribs,
Cassel’s cobb salad comes on a massive plate with local organic lettuce and Romaine — to give it a nice, crisp crunch — local tomatoes, turkey bacon, blue cheese and eggs. All for $10.99.
“In the carrot ginger soup we have fresh carrot and organic vegetable stock,” Cassel said. The soup goes for $5.99.
Cassel’s dedication to fresh, top-of-the-line vegetables is apparent in her dishes.
“The vegetables we use are high in antioxidants, so we do a lot of roasted vegetables — beets, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, roasted peppers”
I was thoroughly impressed with Cassel’s presentation, and so was John Schiltz, a visitor from Minnesota, who said he had never had gluten-free bread before.
“I know it’s healthier, but I would never have known this bread was gluten-free, until I heard you two talking about it,” Schiltz said. “It was outstanding. It tasted no different than regular bread.”
Sweet Marie’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit sweetmarieskauai.com or call 823-0227 for more information.
