06/01/2026
June 1st, 2018, the day that changed my life forever.
I never planned to sell my butter tarts.
After owning a retail store for 11 years I thought that chapter of my life was behind me. For years friends kept telling me . “ You need to sell these tarts! They don’t taste gluten-free. People will buy them!” But my answer was always the same: “Been there, done that. I don’t want to do retail again.”
Then the unimaginable happened.
On June 1, 2018, my best friend Stephanie passed away. We had been friends for more than 50 years. The strange part? June 1st is also National Butter Tart Day.
If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.
That day changed the trajectory of my life. While grieving, I decided to take a chance on my butter tarts.
In 2018 and 2019, Andy and I travelled all over Ontario, selling at Butter Tart Festivals and local markets. Then something unexpected— and wonderful—happened.
We started winning awards.
Not just against other gluten-free bakers, but against traditional bakeries.
People began showing up at our house to buy tarts right out of our garage.
By mid-2019, it was clear: open a store or shut it down.
I think you know which decision we made
To honour Stephanie, I took the “ie” from her name and added it to mine, creating Joanie’s Gluten Free.
This business has always been a labour of love and a tribute to my best friend.
On June 1, 2019, exactly one year after Stephanie’s passing, I was handed the keys to the store we still occupy today.
So today, I reflect on more than 50 years of friendship, the loss that changed my life, and eight incredible years of experiences I never could have imagined.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Joanie’s Gluten Free along the way. Every tart, every customer, every award, and every milestone carries a piece of Stephanie’s memory with it.
Today is bittersweet.
But mostly it’s a reminder that sometimes life’s greatest heartbreaks can lead us down paths we never expected and places we were always meant to be!
Joan ❤️
