An East Providence market is dishing out gluten-free goodness – with a smile

May's Gluten Free Market in Riverside is so much more than even an optimist can imagine.

Through a network of connections, and her own cooking and baking, proprietor Celeste King Bremer offers specialty items that range from frozen sweets and packaged mixes to hot foods like warm empanadas and prepared meals. Fresh cupcakes and other baked goods are on the weekly lineup. Sometimes there are scones or sticky buns. Everything is gluten-free. There are a lot of dairy-free foods, too, and some vegan selections.

The bonus is how Bremer relates to her shoppers. As the mother of a child with celiac disease and Type 1 diabetes, and a child with other health issues, Bremer understands the challenges of every person who walks up to her counter.

"We do a lot of talking here," she said while flashing her signature smile. No one checks out without sharing a story or discussing their purchases. She's created a safe space where people can shop with confidence.

Bremer can also bridge the information gap when a novice is shopping for allergen-free items for a family member or friend. She does it with patience and kindness, ignoring the eye rolls when someone says they have to serve a gluten-free sibling at a family dinner. Most of the time they leave with a better understanding of the challenges that come with being a celiac and the anxiety that results when eating out.

Bremer recalled her own challenges of spending Saturdays going from one store to the next to stock her pantry so that she could safely feed her family. It would involve shopping at three or more stores.

It's Bremer's energy that has stocked the shelves and freezer case at May's. She has a co-owner, her brother Brendan King, but he's also a professional photographer. His studio is in the same plaza. They have no other employees. All their money goes into stocking the store, Bremer said.

Bremer does all the baking and cooks most of the prepared meals. Some of her most popular meals are a Japanese-style hamburger and kimchi fried rice.

Starting May's at Hope & Main, the culinary business incubator and commercial kitchen, helped her connect with other food providers, including Guetty Antiste, the Empanada Assassin, and Minnie Luong of Pawtucket's Chi Kitchen Kimchi.

On the day of a recent visit, there were both breakfast empanadas and curry chicken options, both made with tender and delicious gluten-free dough. Bremer's gluten-free cupcakes were also available.

Seymour Foods, a business specializing in local products, is another resource for stocking May's. The Providence store sources all manner of ingredients from Rhode Island and New England. She also stocks from Farm Fresh Rhode Island, and there's local milk in the dairy case.

Bremer did much research to find the best gluten-free puff pastry and phyllo doughs for her freezer case. She's currently on the hunt for gluten-free wonton wrappers. The freezer is full of gluten-free doughnuts, pizza crusts and other staples most people take for granted.

The store shelves offer a mix of bottled items such as salsas and gluten-free soy sauce. There are cake mixes, vegan marshmallows, snack foods and endless other items to tickle any palate.

It's hard to see how Bremer has any energy left after stocking and baking and talking all day, but she does, and she posts live videos from the market on Instagram.

Bremer and her husband, an immigration lawyer in Providence, and their family live in Barrington. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her brother and his wife and family moved to the town, too, coming from Hong Kong. Their mother is Japanese and married their American father. They grew up in Arizona. Bremer's husband graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law, which is what brought them to Rhode Island, their home.

Bremer still has more plans for May's and the gluten-free business. She wants to convert a storage space at the market into a coffee corner. They also have a food truck in the works. But the most immediate priority is getting all their stock listed online so customers can order from home and get delivery.

Details: May's Gluten Free Market, 7 Forbes St., at the corner of Willett Avenue, East Providence, (401) 410-7475, maysglutenfreemarket.com. Winter hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: May's Gluten Free Market in Riverside serves those on restricted diets