Beauty and taste! There are a few things more picturesque, indulgent, and healthful than Sweet Laurel.
Laurel Gallucci’s life changed when she was diagnosed with an aggressive auto-immune disorder. Put on a restrictive diet, her doctor told her “you'll never eat chocolate cake again”. But because of her deeply emotional connection to food, Laurel struggled.
Along with her friend and business partner Claire Thomas, they founded Sweet Laurel - a whole foods baking company creating delicious organic, grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free treats. And their pink flowery brick-and-mortar bakery in sunny Pacific Palisades is just as charming as their 3-tier vanilla coconut jam cake.
They only put the fewest, best ingredients in their baked goods. This includes using Spread The Love® UNSALTED Almond Butter in their yummy brownies and other delicious baked goods!
Check out our interview with Sweet Laurel Owner and Spread The Love® partner Laurel Gallucci!
Spread The Love: Sweet Laurel is founded on the idea that living a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean having to give up on decadent desserts. What advice would you give to someone just starting out on their own health journey?
Laurel Gallucci: The first thing to do is find a practitioner to work with, and align on needs and goals. Secondly, figure out the foods that make you feel great! It is possibly to eat in a way that doesn’t lead to bloat and tummy pain!! Once you find those troublesome foods, leave them out of your diet!!
STL: Your first brick and mortar store in Palisades Village is beautifully feminine. How has your upbringing in LA found its way into the aesthetic of Sweet Laurel?
LG: Claire and I always like to say our cake shop is where Santa Monica meets Sussex, and this is very much so our vibe. Tea parties, garden roses, natural beauty.. this is our vibe.
STL: After the success of your first cookbook Sweet Laurel: Recipes For Whole Food, Grain Free Desserts, you're about to launch your second Sweet Laurel Savory: Everyday Decadence for Whole-Food, Grain-Free Meals in March 2021. We can't wait to add new recipes to our kitchen repertoire! What do the cookbooks mean to you and how do you pick which recipes to include?
LG: Claire and I are both nostalgic in our eating ways. We grew up around great food, and this is definitely something you will see in Sweet Laurel Savory. We started with our grain free, refined sugar free and dairy free scaffold and built out a book filled with an abundance of delicious!
STL: What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
LG: Sweet Laurel will be launching in Whole Foods and I cannot wait!! My goal is to reach as many people as possible with wholesome, nourishing food.
