Local chef aims to make gluten-free food so good you ‘don’t have to be gluten-free to eat it’

Chef Marissa Schaeffer was diagnosed with celiac disease at age 28 — not exactly welcome news for a young culinary professional with a new job at a German bakery. But her diagnoses would be the start of a new career, one that would elevate gluten-free food beyond the cardboard bread and mushy pastas that most gluten-intolerant foodies are accustomed to.

Now, Schaeffer has been enjoying the excitement of running her new business, Good for All Gluten Free Food, in the State College area, offering gluten-free pastries, meals and a la carte items. But finding the right market for gluten-free foods hasn’t always been easy.

At the time of her diagnoses, Schaeffer said, gluten-free foods weren’t really on the map.

“It was the kind of thing that was available in (some) health food stores,” she said. “You could get some really bad bread and bland cookies, but there really wasn’t much.”

Schaeffer scoffed at first when her husband suggested she use her culinary talent to enhance her own life, and, in turn, the lives of others. If it was easy or even possible, she asked herself, wouldn’t somebody already be doing it? But then she gave it a shot, creating gluten-free baked goods, breads and full family meals to sell at farmers markets in San Antonio, where she was living at the time.

At first, business was slow. Shaeffer she frequented tiny farmers markets at the edge of town, but had trouble selling her product due to unfamiliarity people had with gluten-free foods at the time.

“As I struggled getting the business off the ground for a few years, in 2011, there was a farmers market that opened right in the middle of San Antonio, right in the same parking lot as a Whole Foods Market,” she said. “It was really there that it got hot. The industry had started to catch on as far as commercial development, and people were getting consistently diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Gluten-free became more commonplace and I met with great success.”

Schaeffer went from selling her baked goods, breads and meals to additionally offering gluten-free crepes made to order at the farmers markets. By the end of her time in San Antonio, she was offering her products at multiple farmers markets, with a staff of 10 people, “cranking out upward of 500 crepes per market,” she said.

When Schaeffer and her husband moved to Centre County in 2016 for job opportunities and to be close to family, she had aspirations of starting a similar business here. But it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that she had the right opportunity.

“I really try to make this food so good that you don’t have to be gluten-free to eat it,” she said. “I want it to be good for all, so you can sit down with your family and have a meal and everyone can eat the same thing.”

This year, Good for All Gluten Free Food appeared at Pine Grove Mills Farmers Market through the end of the season, and customers can order products from the brand via State College Market, with pickups on Fridays at the Home Depot on North Atherton. She’s also working to get her crepe business running at the Titan Market near Bellefonte, and home delivery is also available.

Schaeffer’s products range from complete meals that only need to be reheated, as well as quick dinners that only need a little bit of extra work — such as a fried rice dish that you then customize with your own protein. Beyond gluten-free foods, she also offers items that are additionally vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free and more. “I try to make it so that if you have different needs, you’re not left out,” she said.

While the product line changes with new offerings each week, Schaeffer says customers can expect meals and items in two categories — either “homestyle hearty” or “exotic and interesting.” Some of her best sellers and consistent offerings, however, include her pot pies, both a chicken and vegan vegetable variant.

Looking forward to the holidays, Schaeffer offers a variety of Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes, including gluten-free and dairy-free pies and a few traditional dishes that some home cooks may find difficult to do gluten-free, such as stuffing and gravy.

“Even if people are going to someone else’s house (for the holiday), they can bring this stuff with them and have everything everyone else is having, or they can serve it at their own home to everyone there and no one will know (it’s gluten-free),” she said.

Schaeffer also does specialty orders, such as birthday and event cakes. “I’m interested and flexible and like to get to know people. I can do more than just what’s on the website,” she said.

What’s in the future for Good for All Gluten Free Food?

“I’d really like to be in more farmers markets,” Schaeffer said. “I really like that farmers market, local food scene, where people can show up and really get to know the people growing and making their food.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 8:00 AM.