When we discovered, much like the rest of us around here, that our daughter is wheat intolerant, I personally mourned the loss of the bakery.

Yes, it had been at least a couple of years before that when muffins, cookies and crusty bread went the way of the Dodo for me after I discovered that wheat had a horrible effect on my moods (did I say it was horrible?).

But, somehow imagining all of the frosted cookies she could never eat and the donuts she’d never inhale made me nostalgic for Summers when I was seven and my cousins and I would sit around and eat entire loaves of fresh Italian bread straight from the rack of my uncle’s bakery in Niagara Falls.

Those wanderings in amongst the cookies and pastries were the charm of my youth, picking out that perfect sweet, dreaming of them, wondering why I was a pudgy little kid:)

We’ve searched long and hard since then for a similar family bakery sort of experience – with some serious wheat alternatives dotting the case in amongst the more charming yet also more rash-producing sugar cookies decorated to the nines.

We found it (and more) over at the Cumberland Village Bakery on Dunsmuir in downtown Cumberland.

From the smell of the freshly baked pizza coming out of the oven around lunch time to the lovely loaves of bread (including a yummy spelt), this diminutive bakery is pretty much a beloved icon of all that is good in Cumberland.

The crew is charming, the coffee delish (and organic), and there are PLENTY of non-wheat options for those folks like us who either can’t or don’t indulge in the wheat. I personally L-O-V-E the Seedy Spelt cookie while our daughter is a huge fan of the ginger snaps, peanut butter flour-free cookies and the occasional spelt gem with other goodies mixed in.

They are legendary for their donuts, apple fritters and I hear the chocolate croissants will make your head spin happy.

Mostly what I love is that we can always count on this quaint spot for a tasty treat when cookies are in order…and who doesn’t have time to catch up with friends over coffee and cookies?

Now, the bakery experience is a guaranteed part of the childhood paradigm in our house.

Who could ask for more?:)

Cumberland Village Bakery gets the Our Big Earth Certified Family-friendly stamp of approval.

Check it out for yourselves, there’s no chance it’ll disappoint.