Free & Company Kitchen: Saving the World One Brownie at a Time (Gluten, Dairy & Refined Sugar Free)

Jessica Ryan April 06, 2016

What do brownies and superfoods have in common? Some of you might jump up and shout, “Why chocolate, of course!” while the rest of you might scratch your heads and wonder. What if I told you that the Free & Company Kitchen’s incredible baked goods are all super-food based? Additionally, every one of their items is gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free, sweetened only with organic maple syrup. Some of their products are also egg and nut-free. For those of you with food sensitivities or who have children who do, this small, newly launched company should be on your radar. It should also be noted that these edibles aren’t for just vegetarians, vegans or celiac patients; they’re truly for everyone.

Founded on the premise that snacks can be familiar and comforting and still good for you, Chef Lynne Pasquale sets out to prove this possible one brownie at a time. She has, so far, won over even the most discerning of palates, myself included.

I met with Chef Pasquale at her bakery last week where we had a chance to chat.

“I was born onto this planet loving cooking and gardening and cooking healthy food,” she told me. “I’ve worked at restaurants since I was a teenager and I was an obsessively healthy vegan.” The classically trained chef learned to adapt her cooking style to fit her dietary needs. Her impressive resume includes a host of well-known names and personalities. Celebrities, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Mick Jagger, Annie Leibowitz and Jennifer Lopez sought her out specifically for her healthy cuisine. “I was always so honored and a little bit intimidated,” admits Chef Pasquale. “After all, these people ate at all the very best restaurants around the world. They allowed me to cook for them in my own style, and I liked that.” What her clients knew then, we are just figuring out now - that it is indeed possible to have really delicious healthy food.

Chef Pasquale confided in me that she has wanted to open her own bakery for as long as she can remember, and 18 months ago she did just that. She started baking in a small, private kitchen and has since moved to a larger kitchen space in Wilton that she shares with AMG Catering, where she continues to bake in small batches.”

“I want to save the world, that’s just who I am,” Pasquale confessed. “I also want to show people that healthy eating is possible and delicious. Our ingredients are all superfoods, highly nutritious, plant based and cutting edge, not to mention delicious. I’ve been perfecting these recipe for years and everyone loves them. Everyone. We appeal to everyone, not just those with food issues.”

Pasquale stresses that they’re a bakery first and foremost, the gluten, dairy and sugar-free part is not the focus - the focus is the flavor. “Our products aren’t about restriction. They’re about freedom - the freedom to be able to the things you want without the worry.” Children, perhaps her greatest audience and greatest critics, love her products, my children certainly can. I gave them samples of her chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies and assorted breads. I did not tell them what was missing until afterwards and had I not done so, they never would have known. They were amazed to discover that the chocolate they were eating was vegan; that it contained no egg or dairy, as was I. Chef Pasquale makes her own. Products currently available are: Pumpkin, Chocolate Zucchini and Carrot loaf cakes. Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter cookies, and Brownies. She will soon be adding breads and breakfast cookies to the mix

To purchase some of her wonderful treats you can visit the bakery by appointment, or stop by one of the locations listed below. Orders can be made through the website and picked up at the bakery, or delivered by hand to your home.

Free & Company Can Be Found Here:

Palmer's Market, Darien, CT
Andy's Pure Food, Rye, NY
Equinox, Mamaroneck, NY
Standing Room Only, Scarsdale, NY
Greenlife, Mamaroneck, NY
Kneaded Bread, Port Chester, NY
Citarella, Greenwich, CT
Citarella East Hampton, West Hampton, Bridgehampton, NY
Citarella East, West, The Village, NYC
Terrain, Westport, CT
The Organic Market, Westport, CT
Naked Greens, So. Norwalk & Wilton, CT
Freshii, Fairfield & Westport, CT
Cinch Market, Fairfield, CT
Double L Market, Westport, CT
The Well, Wilton, CT
The Market at Gus's, Harrison, NY