Mama Baer’s cafe offering homemade goods in Gilbert

PHOENIX — A grandmother who has sold her homemade jams and baked goods in Valley stores since 2017 is now selling them from her own spot in Gilbert.

The 900-square-foot Mama Baer’s cafe opened at Guadalupe Road and Val Vista Drive last month.

Owner Fawn Reed told KTAR News 92.3 FM that she used to sell her products at the location’s previous business, Gabriela’s Kitchen.

“This location has history for me as it was one of the locations of the coffee shop that I put my products in, so it seemed meant to be,” she said in an email.

Besides the jams and desserts, the new cafe also offers coffee, tea and sandwiches, including PB&Js with 22 flavor options for jam.

Reed said she plans to add outdoor seating and introduce new dishes, like her homemade mac and cheese, to the menu.

“We are just trying to let things settle in a little bit before we make some other things available,” she said.

Reed said it’s important to her to offer foods, including keto-friendly and gluten-free options, that are not processed and contain as little sugar as possible.

If she can’t find an ingredient that fits her vision, she said, she learns how to make it herself.

“When we launched the yogurt parfaits, I was going to use a good brand of yogurt for them, but I couldn’t find many brands that didn’t have added things in them that you don’t need,” Reed said.

“Dairy is a pretty pure product, so if you see more than just cream or cultures, there is something wrong. So I learned how to make yogurt and used that in our parfaits.”

Mama Baer’s held its grand opening July 26. It continues to offer goods at Seattle Espresso in Tempe and online.

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