With a mere glance at her first customers on a January morning, Lucy Ramos knows what they need: tapioca bread, soft tofu and a soy beverage. Ramos can’t remember how long the couple has been coming here—since before 2000—but she knows their special needs by heart, and that the wife is allergic to dairy and gluten.
More than 17 years ago, long before Betty Crocker boasted gluten-free products or Whole Foods Market came to town, Ramos began her quest to help those who needed to avoid foods or ingredients like gluten, casein and yeast. From what was then Living Foods II on Highland Road, she called companies to question them about their ingredients, ordered from producers in Canada and Italy, attended Celiacs of Baton Rouge meetings and listened to requests from customers and parents.
Age: 52