PHOTO BY TREVOR SUFFIELD Enlarge Image

Jordan Lawrence started the St. James-based Gentle Grains Gluten-Free Bakery for family reasons.

Now, two-and-a-half years later, Lawrence has baked her last loaf of bread for the burgeoning bakery for the same reasons.

Lawrence’s last day in the kitchen was this past Friday.

The trained pastry chef started the business as a way to help her family who all had some kind of digestive disease.

"For me it was easy to go out and eat, but I got tired that there wasn’t more food that everyone could eat," says Lawrence, who baked a wide assortment of gluten-free and vegan goods.

She started making gluten-free food while at home on maternity leave with family members as taste testers.

Lawrence then took her healthy creations to her former bosses in the food industry who encouraged her to sell her baking. That’s when she started Gentle Grains in 2009.

She began baking in the basement of Bordaire Community Centre but recently finished in the basement of a private St. James church.

The past two years had been a struggle to keep up with all of the orders and she admits it was taking time away from her family — which actually made the decision to walk away easy.

"Your work is important but so is family and I made a decision not to neglect what was important in my family life and that entails for me just letting this go unfortunately."

Looking back, Lawrence is proud that she made something healthy that engaged people’s taste buds.

"Being able to do that for people I think I’ll miss the most."

Lawrence says that the business is up for sale and that she hopes that someone will want to carry on the Gentle Grains name that she built from scratch.

If you are interested in purchasing Gentle Grains, please email j.lawrence@live.ca, call 998-3683 or visit www.gentlegrains.com for more information.

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St. James Assiniboia Centennial Pool will be closed from June 19 through to Sept. 15 for a regularly scheduled, bi-annual maintenance shutdown.

As a result there will be no swimming lessons during this year’s summer season.

Those holding a three-month, six-month or one-year pass may request to have their pass suspended by calling 311.

Facility renovations and improvements include a new spray park in the courtyard, installation of a new UV water filtration system, parking lot upgrade and boiler replacement.

 Trevor Suffield is a community correspondent for St. James-Assiniboia. You can contact him at trevorsuffield@gmail.com.