This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, written by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters!
My mom has celiac disease, so it’s important for her to avoid gluten. And a lot of the time, it’s a rough deal. It’s hard to find bread, pastries and other baked goods that taste, look and feel like the original versions made with wheat.
That’s why I was excited to learn about Avenue Bakery on Fourth, an entirely gluten-free bakery in the Avenues, at 376 E. 4th Ave.
Avenue Bakery on Fourth is the combination of two businesses: Avenue Bakery, located in American Fork, and the gift shop Avenues on Fourth.
Bryan Peterson, who owns Avenue Bakery, was looking to expand his business and searching for a location accessible for his customers farther north.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Avenue Bakery on Fourth in Salt Lake City Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
Dena Kennedy, who owns Avenues on Fourth, just happened to have a business with a similar name, so the two decided to combine the two ventures and call it Avenue Bakery on Fourth.
Now, as of November, the gift shop in the Avenues is also a bakery.
When walking into Avenue Bakery on Fourth, the first thing you see is the display case, every shelf filled with gorgeous pastries. There’s also a refrigerated display with grab & go meals, soups and sandwiches.
And, like I said, it’s all gluten free, and you would never know that just by looking or even by tasting.
All of the food and baked items are made at Avenue Bakery, and Peterson said they bake all of their gluten-free items in a separate area, with separate tools and equipment, to avoid cross-contamination.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pastries are seen on display at Avenue Bakery on Fourth in Salt Lake City Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
He said their gluten-free products taste and look just like the real thing thanks to their flour blends, which are made by a company called Corbion. Avenue Bakery is one of the only bakeries in Utah that uses these blends, which are made with brown and white rice flours, tapioca starch, cornstarch, corn flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and other gluten-free ingredients.
Gluten-free items sold at both bakeries include muffin tops, cinnamon rolls, quick breads, brownies, cupcakes and other pastries.
New things will be coming to Avenue Bakery on Fourth. Peterson said he just got a gluten-free sourdough culture, so gluten-free sourdough will soon be available. The bakery will also be offering espresso and other coffee drinks within the next couple weeks, and a few new pastries are also in the works.
I couldn’t say no to some desserts and bread from Avenue Bakery on Fourth, even though I’m not gluten free. To read what I thought, visit the “Treats of the Week” section of this newsletter.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
Food News
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bellwether Farms Ricotta Gnocchi at Rouser, a restaurant in the Asher Adams Hotel in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
Need some help deciding where to dine with your sweetheart or your friend group this Valentine’s Day? I’ve put together a handy list of Utah restaurants that are offering special menus and meals for the holiday, including Rouser in the Asher Adams hotel. Just make sure you get those reservations nailed down now.
Openings:
• Le Depot Brasserie, at 660 Main St. in Park City, is opening to the public on Saturday. According to the restaurant’s website, Le Depot will offer a “modern twist on authentic French classics,” curated by James Beard Award-winning chef Galen Zamarra. This spot will be open seven days a week, for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
• Watch for two new locations of Shake Shack in Utah: At City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, and next winter at Park City’s Junction Commons. I’ll provide updates as I get them. There are now five Shake Shacks in Utah: Fashion Place Mall in Murray, Sandy, Riverton, Ogden and the Salt Lake International Airport.
Treats of the Week
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Various baked items from Avenue Bakery on Fourth, including (clockwise from upper left) a loaf of gluten-free bread, a cup of gluten-free tiramisu, a gluten-free Paris-Brest pastry, and cheesecake with gluten-free red velvet cake on the bottom.
I couldn’t decide on one treat to buy at Avenue Bakery on Fourth, so I got a selection — a tiramisu, a round Paris-Brest pastry, and a cheesecake — plus a loaf of their gluten-free sandwich bread.
My favorite out of the three desserts was the tiramisu. Instead of being made with the traditional ladyfingers, this version features layers of gluten-free white cake soaked in espresso, said Avenue Bakery owner Bryan Peterson. Scooping straight through the whipped cream and into the cake made such a sumptuous, but light, bite that was creamy and full of coffee flavor.
I also loved the cheesecake. This version had a layer of red velvet cake on the bottom, which I thought was genius.
Avenue Bakery’s Paris-Brest — named for the famous bicycle race in France — is made with gluten-free choux pastry and filled with whipped cream and Nutella pastry cream, Peterson said. All the components tasted good, but I found the pastry difficult to eat, with all the creams oozing out the sides. I didn’t really get any Nutella flavor, either.
As for the bread, it definitely earns points for its looks. It looks just like a regular loaf of bread, and the flavor is satisfying. It made good toast and a filling peanut butter & jelly sandwich. As far as texture goes, both my dining companion and my gluten-free mom said the bread felt like cake. It does have a “springy” feel that differs from other gluten-free loaves. Overall, a big step up for gluten-free bread.
Correction • Last week’s edition of Utah Eats misstated the year that fonio started appearing in beer. Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver has been brewing with it since 2019.
