Philsonz Pharm Bakery owner Essie Phillips, right, chats with some new customers on her first day selling at the Shepherdstown Farmers Market on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — For those with food allergies, finding baked goods that are tasty and safe to eat can be a challenge. But as of this past Sunday, that need no longer be the case for those in Shepherdstown.

On the opening day of the Shepherdstown Farmers Market’s outdoor season behind the Market House, an allergen-friendly bakery joined the other market vendors for the first time.

“This is my first market of my own for my bakery,” said Philsonz Pharm Bakery owner Essie Phillips. “We just moved to Spring Mills from Loudon County, and everyone said that Shepherdstown and Charles Town would probably be very good places to start off selling our products.”

The dream, for Phillips, is to grow her bakery business in the area enough to eventually open a brick-and-mortar shop.

“We’re looking for a stand-alone place to open a gluten-free cafe. We’ll start at farmers markets and see how that goes, and then if there’s a big need for it, we’ll be able to figure out a good spot to open,” Phillips said.

A box of Buttered Rum Chocolate Pecan Cookies sits on display at the Philsonz Pharm Bakery booth on Sunday morning. Tabitha Johnston

Phillips, who has celiac disease, said that her experience with the restrictive diet required by the disease has helped her develop high standards to avoid cross-contamination.

“There is a difference between food being celiac safe or just gluten free — this is celiac safe. This is made in a completely gluten-free kitchen, so there’s no risk of cross-contamination,” Phillips said. “I don’t think people understand that if you mix in a bowl that you previously mixed gluten in, and you don’t sanitize it properly, you will have cross-contamination. Since my kitchen never has gluten in it, there’s absolutely no risk of that happening!”

Five out of Phillips’ nine children have severe allergies to other kinds of food, such as peanuts, pecans, fresh fruit, mammal meat by-products and fresh vegetables with pollen on them, which has led to Phillips developing similar standards for cooking food with those ingredients.

“I cook dairy on a separate day from when I cook dairy-free food, so there’s no cross-contamination for dairy. And I don’t carry a lot of dairy stuff — most of it is dairy-free,” Phillips said, pointing out her dairy-free items, which are vegan and therefore, also egg free.

Moving to the Eastern Panhandle has created a business opportunity for Phillips that she would never have been able to take advantage of back in Loudon County.

Mini loaves of coffee cake, banana bread and lemon poppyseed bread sit on display in the Philsonz Pharm Bakery booth on Sunday morning. Tabitha Johnston

“There are lots [sic] of places out there that offer gluten free or vegan. When we moved out here, we realized that there was not much stuff available for people with those dietary restrictions,” Phillips said, mentioning she began dreaming of opening her own bakery or cafe three years ago, prior to her family’s move to the area. “There seems to be a need for it here! I’ve sold out of all but two of my vegan things today.”

For those wanting to purchase a specific baked good that meets their allergy needs, Phillips encouraged them to contact her through emailing her at delish@philsonzpharmbakery.com, calling her at 703-475-1659 or messaging her at https://www.facebook.com/ppbglutenfree/.

“You want to be able to go somewhere and hang out and get something to eat that you know is safe. That’ll be me!” Phillips said. “We’ll see where we end up.”