Looking through a large freezer stuffed with food, Connie Glenn found herself wondering what gluten-free bread tasted like.

"Are the hamburger buns any good?" she asked Ty and Lindsey Svejkovsky, owners of Everything Gluten Free.

They responded yes, but offered a warning.

"All the breads we toast," Ty said, "you can't just make a sandwich with mayo on it. Even a tomato will turn the bread soggy."

The Casper couple offers more than just gluten-free food in their 440 square-foot garage. They offer tips and support to people newly diagnosed with celiac disease and a fresh take on gluten-free food for those who have been living with it for years.

People with celiac disease get sick when they eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Glenn, of Douglas, was diagnosed with the disease in December and bought some gluten-free cornbread mix, which Lindsey swears her extended family can't tell the difference, and a frozen pepperoni pizza, a customer favorite.

Last April, Ty and Lindsey opened Everything Gluten Free in the garage of their west-side home to give people more selection in the gluten-free products available in Casper. They have about 50 regular customers and can't seem to keep food in stock.

"We're outgrowing the garage," said Ty, who was diagnosed with celiac disease about six years ago. His family struggled for years traveling to Denver for food, reading ingredient labels carefully and ordering food off the Internet.

The couple wanted to create a place where people would know everything was safe for them to eat.

Because of the success, Everything Gluten Free will move into a 1,000 square-foot store in Sunrise Shopping Center next month, more than doubling their space and the variety of food they are able to offer.

Moving to a permanent store means the store will have expanded hours, instead of just a few hours a week, and closer to many customers.

"We are trying to get big enough so people don't have to go out of town for food," Ty said.

He wants to make the store his full-time business, but for now he still works at another job.

Laura Gossman, who was diagnosed with celiac disease 11 years ago, said it is "night and day" between what gluten-free food she could buy in Casper 11 years ago and what she can buy now.

"Lindsey and Ty have multiplied it 10 fold," Gossman said.

Melanie Wright would have to spend two days making a pizza. Now, she can buy a pizza at Everything Gluten Free and have it ready in 20 minutes.

One of Ty's favorite success stories is a woman who came in "skin and bones" and "wilting away," because of the disease. The couple spent an hour giving her advice about gluten-free options.

Now, the woman comes in once a month. Ty said people wouldn't recognize her.

People can also find gluten-free products at Alpenglow Natural Foods on Second Street and Wal-Mart. Ty and Lindsey said they still shop there for products, because they can't carry everything.

And they're not going to try.

"We like to sell our own stuff, but if we find something somebody wants at Wal-Mart or Alpenglow's, we will tell them," Lindsey said. "We just want to help people. I know that sounds corny, but we don't want people to be in the situation we found ourselves in."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.

About the store

More information on Everything Gluten Free…

Contact: Lindsey and Ty Svejkovsky at (307) 232-8376

New store address: 4220 S. Poplar St.

When will it open: Saturday, Feb. 2.

What they offer: Gluten-free products from Deby's Bakery and Cafe, Glutino and Gluten-Free Pantry, Kinnikinnck Foods and Buffalo Guys. In the new store, they hope to have products from three or four more companies including, Pamela's Products and Ian's Natural Foods.

Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the first and third Saturdays of every month.

Other activities: The Central Wyoming Celiac Association will begin holding its monthly meetings at the new store. To contact the support group, call (307) 259-4469.

Gluten-free tips

Tips from Ty and Lindsey for celiac disease suffers:

- Try Mexican restaurant La Cocina at 1040 N. Center St. It has a gluten-free menu, if you ask for it. Ty said it tastes great.

- Toast all gluten-free bread products. Because of the products' ingredients, the bread will become soggy if you put any type of condiment or vegetable on it.

- Watch portion sizes with gluten-free foods. They are higher in calories, because of the extra ingredients that must be added to make up for the loss of wheat.

- Look at Wal-Mart for gluten-free products. Their Great Value brand has many gluten-free products that are clearly labeled.

- Drink V8 Splash. It is one of the only gluten-free juices available. Yoplait yogurt is another example of a name-brand food that is gluten-free.