Oh my…how things change. I don’t know which one is more emotional for me: the excitement when a new product starts or a new gluten-free friendly store opens or the disappointment when a gluten-free product is discontinued or the store closes. Well the disappointment has set in with the closing of Cooqi Gluten-Free Delights in St. Paul, Minnesota.
I found out this week that the quaint little bakery is closing its doors. According to its website, the restaurant will close as of April 30th,
“…our retail bakery business model is simply not sustainable, despite our countless loyal customers and the tireless dedication of my employees.
So, heartbreakingly, the bakery is closing.” — Cooqi Gluten Free Delights
Cooqi’s Pizza Crusts at Local Restaurants
Judy Malmon, owner of the shop, told me one of her biggest priorities during this time is all about the gluten-free pizza crusts. She says except for the responses of folks that they’re saddened by the news, the next big concern is the status of their pizza crusts. They are used in several pizza places that want to accommodate gluten-free needs, including all Pizza Luce locations in the Twin Cities.
“I am working feverishly to keep the pizza crust going, as my customers have come to depend on the knowledge that they can pop in to a Pizza Luce and eat like a normal person.”
Cooqi’s Facebook page has the latest information to on the status of their pizza crusts. As of Wednesday afternoon, Malmon said,
“We are now about 95% sure that we have a solution, and you will… continue to enjoy exactly the same fabulous pizza in the same places! Thank you so much Madwoman [Foods] for stepping up to the plate. Please show them the love.”
Allow me to do a collective and very public WHEW! for all of us who rely on them for this great pleasure of having pizza out with our friends and family.
What’s Next for Cooqi?
Malmon says she’ll be working on a new Cooqi endeavor: taking her most successful products and selling the mixes for them at stores and co-ops.
“Our initial line of mixes – bread, pizza crust, cakes, pancakes, muffins, and baking flour – reflect the most popular items in our bakery. Not only will Cooqi’s baking mixes allow you to continue to have the things you love from Cooqi, but you’ll be able to make them easily (and more economically) yourself.”
So in the meantime, stop by their shop on Marshall and let them know what they meant to you. Or go on their Facebook page too!
Thanks for all you did over the last 3 1/2 years!
Tags: closing, Cooqi, crust, gluten-free, pizza, restaurant, store
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