Whether from deep tradition or recent innovation, the fancy desserts available in Lockport for Valentine’s Day are baked with the warmth of family.
At 5850 S Transit Road, Kith & Kin Bakeshop & Bistro, owned by Lisa and Tim Jermyn, provides an extensive selection of gluten-free goodies, from breads and pizza crusts to decadent cookies and cakes. The original recipes, some of which are also vegan, were developed by Lisa to meet the gluten-free needs of her kids.
“Our three kids have celiac disease and I’ve always been a baker,” she said. “It was just really hard to find reasonably priced, good-tasting gluten-free options. I figured if it’s hard for me, it’s hard for others. My original plan was to provide business-to-business wholesale. I didn’t have intentions initially to have retail space.”
Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disorder that results in damage to the small intestine’s lining after ingesting the gluten found in wheat, barley, and rye.
The Jermyns’ middle son, who was always very thin, was the first to complain of his stomach burning. Lisa said that for three years, he was treated for heartburn and various stomach ailments.
“At one point, they said he had attention-seeking behavior,” she said.
“After he was diagnosed, the other two kids were tested,” Tim said. “Our older son was a big kid and never complained about not feeling well. I was surprised.”
Tim said if their son scratched his skin, it would “blow up” with inflammation.
“That’s gone away now that he’s eating gluten-free. After a week or two, he said, ‘Wow, I thought that was how everybody felt,’ ” Tim recalled.
Kith & Kin bakes wholesale orders of pizza crusts, sub rolls, sandwich rolls, and bread, and provides all the gluten-free pizza crusts to Pappa Leo’s.
In the bakeshop, pedestal plates feature a dreamy array of fruity, sugary, and chocolatey treats, with colorful frostings and sprinkles. Lisa relies on a team of degreed pastry chefs, many from the Niagara Culinary Institute.
“My pastry chefs are always excited to try new things,” she said. “They’re always up for a challenge. They love to do royal icing, but we came up with a rolled butter cream that tastes better. It’s really soft and doesn’t taste plasticy like fondant.
The bakeshop’s Valentine’s heart cookies are made of white rice and tapioca flours, and corn starch to make a vanilla sugar cookie dough, Lisa said. Their Lambeth cake, a traditional heart-shaped cake, has become very popular, she said.
Molinaro’s Ristorante at 90 Walnut St. has been selling out of its decorated sugar cookies, now made into Valentine hearts. Baker Debbie Farfaglia can customize the color of the icing and the words for a sweet personal message.
“We have a great following, especially for these cutouts,” said owner Mike Molinaro. “If she makes 50 to 60 for the day, they sell out. Some people come in three times a week for them.”
While Molinaro opened the business in 1998, selling pizzas, in 2001, he moved to his current building and branched out.
“Since I was a kid, at weddings and parties, our family always had tables and tables of Italian cookies,” he said. “I said, Lockport never had anything like that. Over time, we evolved into this.”
The restaurant’s bakery case features precise raspberry-filled heart cookies, sugar cookie hearts rippling with the word “Love” in frosting, and creamy Napoleons, cannolis, and puff pastries.
Molinaro’s parents came separately from Calabria and met in the US in the 1960s.
“We had our nonna’s recipes from Italy,” Molinaro said. “Every cookie dough is made separately. Everything is very authentic.”