One day while I was doing Time Stands Still on Broadway, Monica, my understudy, brought in a cookie sandwich - two cookies with cream in the middle. It was from Sweet Freedom Bakery in Philadelphia, owned by Allison Lubert and Heather Esposito. Michael from EcoRazzi.com had given them to Monica for me, and after I tried them I immediately ordered some for the crew...I wanted everyone to taste these yummy treats!

Allison from Sweet Freedom sent me a little taster platter of all the other stuff they have. I had my taste test and my other favorite treat from them was the magic bar! They also have poppyseed cake and chocolate bread, which was good, and oatmeal cookie sandwiches...but I prefer the naughty chocolate chip sandwich. The chocolate cupcake was pretty good too. Check out Allison’s great story of how her bakery came to be:

“Here is the story of how a little vegan bakery came to be…

Chronic throat, ear and lung infections, congestion, insomnia, major dental issues, frequent unexplained bouts of fainting, and digestive difficulties resulting in countless days of missed school didn’t tip off any of my pediatricians when I was a child that I needed a change in my diet.  Even during adolescence and adulthood when my symptoms continued, and acne and anemia were added to the list, no one suggested to me that I might alter that way that I was eating.  Consuming the standard American diet of packaged and processed foods loaded with saturated animal fats, chemicals and additives only fueled these issues.  Though most people eating this way would gain lots of weight, I was continuing to lose weight and have terrible digestive issues (probably due to sheer mal-nutrition!) I felt weak and totally depleted.  
 
It wasn’t until I got to grad school that I realized that my utter lack of energy and declining health was keeping me from realizing my life goals. I had been to countless doctors, and had tested positive for endometriosis, as well as an “unspecified autoimmune disease,” (they thought I might have Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome or both).  I was prescribed a number of drugs, including a steroid that induced insomnia and made me feel like my heart was racing out of my chest.
 
Around the age of 25 when my digestive issues were at their worst, (not to mention I would often break out in hives or experience terrible headaches after eating), I was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, dairy, yeast, and cane sugar, among other foods. At my wits’ end, weak and underweight (literally from mal-nutrition!), I decided to seek the advice of a holistic and integrative physician. He was unlike any doctor I had ever visited, and it was a breath of fresh air to me. A devout vegan and raw food-ist himself, the first thing he had me do was read The China Study. He helped me understand that by filling my body with so much dairy and other animal protein, chemicals and refined sugars - my immune system was totally shot. It was as if all the wires in my body had been crossed, and my immune system was not only attacking itself, but also reacting strongly to most of the foods I was eating.  I decided to swap all dairy, sugar, meat and processed foods for raw fruits and veggies, legumes, nuts, and other wonderful and health-promoting plant-based foods. Slowly I began to gain some healthy weight, and all of the symptoms and health issues that I thought were just part of being “me” were fading - I started to feel more alive than I ever had!
 
After I completed my Masters degree in Counseling Psychology, I decided to enroll in a program in holistic nutrition called the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where they further supported my newfound belief in the benefits of eating a plant-based diet.  I opened my own Nutritional Counseling practice to help others to change their diets too.  I learned to adapt all of my favorite recipes without dairy, meat and sugar, and would spend hours in my kitchen experimenting.  
 
Two years later, my friend Heather approached me about opening up a vegan bakery. Heather had a severe sensitivity to sugar (hypo-glycemia), as well as intolerances to dairy and gluten/wheat. Heather thought of the name, Sweet Freedom Bakery, as she envisioned having a place where people could come and enjoy the freedom of eating a baked good that wouldn’t harm their health, their mood, innocent animals or the environment.  After a year of serious planning, we opened up Sweet Freedom Bakery here in Philadelphia.  
 
Today, after almost seven months of being open, we are proud to say that Sweet Freedom Bakery is Philadelphia’s first and only completely vegan, refined-sugar-free, bakery. Because we also know how tough it can be to suffer from food sensitivities and allergies, we took things one step further and eliminated all of the major allergens with which many people struggle. Our baked goods contain no dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, soy, nuts, peanuts, or corn.  We use no artificial food dyes or colors, no preservatives and no chemical sweeteners (only unprocessed, natural sweetener - many that are low on the glycemic index like Coconut or Palm Sugar and Agave Nectar). We are so excited to see that in the land of Cheesesteaks and Soft-Pretzels that Philly has embraced our vegan goodness. The cupcakes, cookies, crumbles, donuts, magic bars and muffins that we bake fresh every day fly off the shelves! We now ship nation-wide so that we can share our yummy and healthy treats with as many people as we possibly can.

After being open only two weeks, we had the amazing privilege and good fortune that one of our Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches (two cookies sandwiched with a creamy and rich coconut milk/agave nectar-based frosting) landed in the hands of none other than the lovely and talented Alicia Silverstone.  We were so happy to be able to share our vegan treats with her while she was just a quick train ride away from us in NYC on Broadway. (Turns out, she enjoyed our treats so much that she placed a special order from us that we were thrilled to hand-deliver). We will never forget this good fortune, and are thrilled to share with the world that you don’t need dairy, eggs or refined sugar to make an amazingly delicious and healthy alternative to dessert.  Thank you Alicia, for helping us to spread this important message!”

Thanks Allison, you rock! To find out more about Sweet Freedom Bakery, you can visit the website www.sweetfreedombakery.com, or if you live in Philadelphia go to:

Sweet Freedom Bakery
1424 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146

Do you have a great vegan bakery near you?