Gluten-Free Glen Rock Desserts May Lead to a More Romantic Valentine's Day

They’re not exactly those heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, but the owners of a health food café and juice bar in Glen Rock say gluten-free, vegan-friendly Valentine’s Day desserts might be even better at sparking romance around the holiday than the traditional options.

Shanna Edsall, the manager of Nectar Café – which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in the borough – said the shop’s new line of Valentine’s Day treats contain natural aphrodisiacs.

“We thought it’d be a fun element to introduce into our recipes for Valentine’s Day,” Edsall said.

“That’s what everyone’s looking for on Valentine’s Day, a little boost to their love lives.”

And the desserts, like all of the recipes at Nectar Café, are raw, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly.

“We use good, natural ingredients,” Edsall said.

Though the treats are non-traditional, Edsall said it doesn’t take much to convince customers to replace the typical box of chocolates with a gluten-free dessert instead.

“Really, all they have to do is try them,” she said.

“Most people don’t realize that we don’t sweeten our desserts with sugar because they taste good. That’s really what we’ve found, that there was a real demand within the gluten-free community for food and desserts that taste good.”

So, the café is in the middle of expanding. Edsall’s parents, who have owned Naturally Yoga in the borough for over a decade, started the Café as primarily a juice bar and take-out venue in December 2012. Nectar will soon have a sit-down area and more dine-in options, they said.

“Juice bars are becoming really popular, but I think what we add to ours is really unique,” Edsall said.

“These Valentine’s Day recipes taste just as devilish as the stuff that isn’t good for you, but you don’t feel bad after you’ve eaten them.”

And, to test the taste and the aphrodisiacal nature of the desserts, Edsall shared a “love at first bite” Valentines Day cookie recipe that she said is a “natural aphrodisiac overload” thanks to ingredients like chocolate, cinnamon, cardamom, maca, almonds and vanilla.