Twist Bakery
- Sasha Harrison
- Mar 15, 2022
- 3 min read
Picture by Sasha Harrison
This is a screenshot of a video I took while at Twist Bakery and Cafe, in Burlington Massachusetts. The first thing that I noticed looking at the picture was not the food but the waitress. She seems to be contemplating something - probably why I was taking so long to order. Although I have been to Twist multiple times, I always spend a solid five minutes examining each of the different desserts. There is a black display container with three shelves. On the left lower display container, there are German chocolate cheesecakes, carrot cakes, tiramisu, and cupcakes piled high with frosting. On the right side of the display there are lemon squares, cake pops and whoopie pies. They also had big containers with raw cinnamon rolls to be cooked at home. Each item is labeled with a white piece of paper and thick black font. The labels have their own little stands to help prop them up as opposed to being placed into one of the desserts themselves. Large glass panels isolate all of the food from germs and, perhaps, the onslaught of hungry customers.
The building itself is modern, with floor to ceiling windows to allow natural light. The shelves are lined with birthday candles, cards, and homemade cake mixes that can be purchased along with brunch. Looking at the entire video of the display case, on the far left, there is a slab of white marble countertop instead of black shelves. There is also a light wooden finish on the front side of the counter. On the marble countertop there are chocolate chip cookies, birthday cake cookies, and vegan chocolate chip cookies. I noticed that they are quite a lot bigger than a typical cookie, and are about the size of my hand. All of the desserts in the display cases are put on crisp, white rectangular plates, most likely to bring out the intense color of each food. However, the foods that are shown in the very beginning of the video are not on white plates, but instead are displayed on white lace papers.
Video by Sasha Harrison
Despite the black shelves being small, approximately 43 bakery items sit comfortably on its display. Those 43 bakery items are not including the ones that come as a side with brunch. Behind the display cases, there are three screens with digital menus. One lists the drinks, one lists the savory brunch items, and the other lists the sweet brunch items. To the average unaware customer these foods look delicious, but completely ordinary. Even after reading the dessert labels, you would have no idea that every single food item being served is 100% gluten free, and therefore it is a Celiac’s heaven. As with many bakeries, the smell of the freshly baked bread and cakes is undeniably mouth watering. Simply knowing that I would be able to taste what I was smelling created a tangible excitement for the meal to come.
The name of the restaurant, Twist Bakery and Cafe, gives the customer no indication that there is a lack of gluten. In fact, the first time I went to the bakery I was unsure if I was even in the right place. The words “gluten-free” were nowhere to be found. Before I was diagnosed with Celiac, I took having a choice, for granted. At restaurants, I rarely would be able to get what I truly desired, and was often left with one or two “gluten-free options”. At Twist Bakery and Cafe, I was not limited. The simple experience of choosing any food off of a menu was one that I craved more than the food itself. Choosing brought back my sense of normalcy and allowed me to have an opinion. I wonder if this is a shared experience among those with Celiac and I am curious to know if the majority of customers are gluten free.
Seeing this kind of dedication and connection towards making a specific kind of food is really heart-warming to see. Often, I see gluten free options marked as a different color or placed somewhere on the side as if just a side thought, so seeing a whole bakery is really amazing. I wonder if there are other completely gluten free food shops that we can visit. another part of your presentation stated that Twist didn’t market themselves as solely gluten free. That’s super interesting!
Especially as a person with dietary restrictions, a whole bakery where you do not have to feel limited on your food choices must feel comforting. This bakery acts as a model of inclusion. For me, food represents a symbol of gathering and community. Food brings people and cultures together as it is one of the things all humans share in common. Thus, it is important to provide these elements of community and gathering to everyone. This bakery making pastries and baked goods accessible is enforcing the idea of community and providing individuals with a connection towards the food dish.
It made me glad/sad when I heard that you were happy to be able to "feel like a normal person again" because you were able to freely choose any pastry in this bakery without worrying it would contain gluten. I was glad that this kind of bakery existed so that you could feel that joy, but at the same time it made me sad that you don't get to experience that often because not all stores are gluten free. I think it is really interesting how your topic is really persona to you, but at the same time other people with Celiac can relate to your topic. I think this topic appeals to both people with and without Celiac and…
It's crazy how big of a selection they have and how they've been able to make all these pastries and dishes gluten-free. I'd assume they use a lot of the standard replacements and apply the same techniques across all the pastries, but it's still hard to nail the same flavor that someone who is not gluten free would expect. Yet, it seems like it's pretty popular, and that they've been able to just that while also complementing other allergens as well. You also did a good job of explaining the sense of wonder and freedom you had when it came to their selection.
I think it is interesting how Twist does not mention that their food is gluten free. As someone who has eaten there before, I can confirm that I would not have noticed that the food was gluten free if I was not told so. It is a strange decision to not appeal to people with Celiac as customers, but maybe they do not mention that the food is gluten free because of stigma around gluten-free food. There seems to be a stereotype around gluten-free foods not tasting good or being as good at foods with gluten. Maybe, by omitting the information about their food being gluten-free they are attempting to avoid these negative stereotypes.