New Cascadia: dedicated gluten-free, and the labeled vegan Morning Glory muffin

New Cascadia Traditional has been a gluten-free landmark on Division for a long time, and it's worth a closer look for vegan options too, as long as you know only some of what it sells is plant-based. It's Chris Gumke and Teresa Atkins's dedicated gluten-free bakery at 2502 Southeast Division. They started at the Portland Farmers Market in spring 2007 because of Chris's severe gluten intolerance, and because the city didn't have exceptional GF baked goods. The facility is dedicated gluten-free, they vet their suppliers, and the vegan items are labeled.

The pastry page lists Vegan Morning Glory Muffins. The cupcakes on the collection page are labeled vegan too, in vegan chocolate with chocolate frosting, vegan chocolate with vanilla, vegan vanilla with chocolate and vegan vanilla with vanilla, sold in sixes. The Boston cream doughnut, maple bars, cardamom bun, savory hand pie, bourbon apple fritter, coffee cake muffins, blueberry muffins, blueberry lemon scone, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chunk cookies and brownies are all on the pastry list without a vegan label, so don't count them as vegan.

Bread is harder to pin down. The faq says they have dairy- and egg-free options and that most of the breads are vegan, but no live bread menu labels the Farmhouse, the baguette or any other loaf as vegan, so this guide doesn't either. Honey has always been a tricky ingredient in gluten-free bakeries, and if you need a specific loaf to be vegan, call (503) 546-4901 and ask.

Hours are Monday through Wednesday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with hot food until 1:30 p.m. Pastries are walk-in or same-day phone orders only, first come first served from 8 a.m., and you pay when you call. Online orders are for pickup on a future date, so for same-day, walk in or call ahead and prepay. Special orders are limited right now to bread, bagels and cupcakes, with 96 hours' notice, and wedding cakes aren't on that list. The shop is closed New Year's Day, the Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas and the day after. Parking is on the street, on Division and in the residential blocks, since there's no lot.

A dedicated gluten-free bakery that also sells a labeled vegan muffin is a genuinely useful find and reason enough to come back. Get the vegan Morning Glory muffin, and the vegan cupcakes if you're ordering six, and when you tell friends about it, mention that the vegan things are the labeled ones.

More on the place page: New Cascadia Traditional