Local Spotlight: Finding Healing Through Gluten-free Baking
The kitchen has always been Sway Soturi’s happy place. Now, she shares her creations through Forest & Flour, an allergen-free bakery in San Jose.
The kitchen has always been Sway Soturi’s happy place. She learned to cook out of necessity as a child of a single mother growing up in Taiwan.
As a young athlete labeled as a “difficult” child, Sway’s relationship with food, her body, and herself was complicated. She struggled with bulimia until age eighteen and then started using hard drugs. “I traded one addiction for another,” she explained.
Throughout her early twenties, Sway was living in New York receiving culinary training and exploring an array of cuisines. But eventually, she realized she had to leave the toxic environment that fueled her substance abuse.
She packed up and moved to Hawaii and started surfing nearly every day. “Hawaii is a magical place that opened my eyes to the beauty of the world,” she said.
Sway found the surrounding nature and her time in the ocean very healing. She met her husband, Damian, on the island and the two set off on adventures by day and hosted barbecues on the beach by night.
Having their child, who is now 12, was what ultimately planted the seeds for Forest & Flour. It was then that Sway and Damian started growing their own food in a community garden. “I came back to the roots with food.”
Sway went from not caring what she put in her body due to low self-esteem and depression, to eating consciously and using simple, natural ingredients.
Natural, allergen-free baking
The cakes, breads, muffins, cookies, and snacks she sells at Forest & Flour are gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, soy-free, corn-free, and nightshade-free. All of the allergen-free baked goods are sweetened with either maple syrup, agave, monk fruit, or coconut sugar.
While some bakers might be hesitant to experiment with such natural, basic ingredients, Sway always has faith that the pastries will turn out well. “I trust the ingredients can speak for themselves and that the flavor will do its job.”
Some of her products are happy accidents, creations that turned out differently than she expected but are still incredibly delicious.
First-time customers are always surprised to find out the pastries are gluten-free and dairy-free.
“Every weekend when I am at the farmer’s market, people’s eyes go really wide when they sample the baked goods,” she said. “They can’t believe they are gluten-free and taste that good.”
A bakery that gives back
To sweeten the deal, Forest & Flour gives 1% of proceeds to a different organization every quarter. This year, Sway has chosen to support Reserva Playa Tortuga’s conservation efforts in Costa Rica, helping sea turtles, crocodiles, bats, birds, and monkeys; the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth; the LGBTQ+ Youth Space in San Jose; and the Andean Research Institute Organization, which brings indigenous technology, housing, and education programs to Maras and other villages in the Sacred Valley region of Peru (Sway’s long-time mentor, scientist Marti Spiegelman is on the board of the organization).
The business also recently raised nearly $10k through a dinner fundraiser for the World Central Kitchen fund in Ukraine.
Forest & Flour joins a long roster of Airmart shops that support the community with monetary donations and food.
Order gluten-free and dairy-free pastries in the Bay Area
Sway’s baguettes, lavender lemon bread, matcha muffins, and more are available for pickup in San Jose and delivery to San Francisco, Daly City, San Bruno, San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Campbell, San Jose, Milpitas, Fremont, and Newark via Airmart.
Place your bakery order here.
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