PAUL — Shepherd’s Place Gluten-Free Bakery and More, owned by a former district public health nurse who is passionate about educating people, opened on Aug. 26.

Lisa Klamm retired from a 40-year career as a nurse on July 29 and decided to open the new business in Paul, a small town located north of Burley and west of Rupert.

Shepherd’s Place is a dedicated gluten-free bakery and candy shop, where Klamm and her three part-time employees go through special procedures when they come to work to make sure no contaminants are brought into the bakery.

After dealing with a gluten allergy that left her with the symptoms of hives and getting only two hours of sleep a night, Klamm figured out that eliminating wheat, rye and barley from her diet relieved her symptoms.

“When I decided not to eat gluten, within three days I was sleeping again but it took weeks for the hives to go away,” Klamm said.

Klamm, who had always enjoyed baking, said finding gluten-free products that met her taste and texture preferences was nearly impossible.

“Baking sourdough bread had been my specialty,” Klamm said. “So I started baking gluten-free at home but as I was coming closer to retirement I decided that I needed a project.”

Over time, she tried out 1,200 gluten-free recipes — including 366 in one year.

She typed up her recipes and analyzed the costs of each of them.

One hundred of her gluten-free recipes made the cut for the bakery, but only 50 are being used right now, she said. The others will be used in rotation to give customers some variety.

Klamm purchased the lot where the old Becky Ann Café stood and the building was demolished in 2021. Construction on the new building began in March and was completed in May.

The bakery will offer an array of breads, including a sandwich bread and specialty breads such as zucchini and pumpkin, along with cookies, pastries, lemon pound cake, brownies, cinnamon rolls and take-and-bake pizzas. There is also a selection of goodies like caramel corn and fudge and a variety of powdered mixes for purchase.

The shop will also serve regular coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Klamm’s personal baked goods favorites include the Danishes, followed closely by the lemon pound cake.

The baked goods will last a couple of days unrefrigerated and stay fresh for two weeks in the refrigerator. Many items can also be frozen.

“I am going to be so thrilled. I’ve been waiting for it to open,” Laura Twiss of Minidoka County said.

Twiss has a gluten sensitivity and has been off gluten for about three years.

Twiss welcomes the options at Shepherd’s Place and she has already tried several of Klamm’s recipes, including some of the bread, apple turnovers and other pastries.

“They were very good,” she said. “I just love bread, rolls and cinnamon rolls.”

A lot of people with gluten allergies, Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity will end up cheating on a gluten-free diet due to the lack of palatable options and then suffer the consequences, Klamm said.

Celiac disease is a chronic immune and digestive disorder that damages the intestines. The disease is triggered by eating foods containing gluten. Celiac disease can cause long-lasting problems and keep the body from getting needed nutrients.

Celiac requires a medical diagnosis, which is more often sought for children who need the diagnosis to receive accommodations at school. Often adults don’t seek the diagnosis and figure out through trial and error that gluten is causing their symptoms, Klamm said.

Klamm said years ago that the disease was rarely heard of but now about 10 percent of the population has gluten sensitivity to varying degrees.

Some people are so sensitive to it that even particles in the air or them touching it can make them sick, Klamm said.

Klamm said there is also a stigma attached to being gluten-free.

“I’ve been asked in restaurants whether I have an actual allergy or if it is just a preference,” Klamm said. “Some people don’t believe it’s a real thing.”

Twiss said the stigma associated with having gluten sensitivity is real.

Few people would choose to eliminate many of the most delectable foods from their diet “as an option,” she said.

Because Klamm gets so ill when she ingests gluten she rarely eats out and is very careful about who she trusts when she does.

The dedicated bakery, she said, will give people avoiding wheat, barley and rye the peace of mind to enjoy some of the foods they have been missing out on.

“I hope everyone can learn to be a little more understanding and compassionate,” Klamm said.

The bakery, at 9 N. Fourth St. E., will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.