Meet Kitty Readle of I.C.Bing Cafe in Colorado Springs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kitty Readle.

Kitty, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We decided to take this crazy journey in mid-2018 when I was wanting to work my last ten years (before retiring) in my passion and not just a JOB by owning a restaurant because we are big foodies. We have four generations under our roof so why not give this a shot? Also, why gluten-free comfort food??

A few years ago, our oldest child brought home his girlfriend to formally introduce us to her and of course, being from the mid-west you cook for anyone coming into your home to show you care. We had already started dinner before they got there like we would any other person. Our son came in saying everything smelled wonderful etc… but then quietly told me “Oh yea she can’t eat any of this as she is Celiac and I forgot to mention this as I assumed you would want to go out to eat”. We had no idea what Celiac was and what it meant to her and eating.

We, of course, did all the normal things others have done. “What do you mean she can’t eat gluten? It’s in her head. She just wants to lose weight etc..” Insert anything you have heard others say to you here! BOY was I wrong!!!!! After a few months of seeing how happy she made him we acknowledged we need to learn more about Celiac as we were beginning to realize she might be sticking around for a while.

After becoming more educated about Celiac and what it does to folks who have it my heart just broke. We couldn’t imagine not eating Parker House Rolls, Croissants or Pasta. That is when I realized I HAD to figure out a way to make the southern comfort food I was used to, but in a way that she could eat with us as a family and not have to eat soup all the time.

So we started trying out different flour blends, but some were too grainy, some were too expensive, and some were just too dense. After that, we experimented with making our own! After we perfected a few recipes, we offered them to others (thank you so much to those first taste testers!), and many of them remarked about how good it was and how close it was to gluten foods. One even told us, “it was so good, I was sure I would have a reaction, but I never did!”, which just made us smile and tear up at the same time! But they all asked us when we’d be opening up our own location so we could start serving REAL FOOD, and not just baked goods.

So on our move to Monument in December of 2018, Kitty decided to not go back into IT and give herself a year to pursue her dream and open up a cafe that serves gluten-free comfort food that ANYONE can enjoy and not realize they are eating gluten-free.

Thus began this journey called: I.C.Bing Cafe (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gluten)!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Gratefully we took off and would sell out each time we did a Farmer’s market so the demand is huge for good quality gluten-free food. We had to turn down some Thanksgiving orders as well due to demand. Having a hard time trying to figure out how I can take care of more people with small staff as a startup. Running my own business has been the hardest thing I have ever done. Running all the various aspects of a business by mostly yourself can be overwhelming but rewarding all at the same time. That said, I would do it all over again.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the I.C.Bing Cafe story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a new 100% dedicated gluten-free cafe serving gluten-free, paleo as well as vegan options. Everything is made from scratch and always fresh. We are determined to bring back comfort food for those who have missed eating certain foods. Our hottest item is our croissants. We perfected the flaky layers and rich buttery flavor you get when you are over in France. You will have a hard time finding a gluten-free croissant that looks and tastes as great as ours. This is just one of our many items that people love.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Never giving up and taking No as a permanent answer. There is always a way to do something, you just have to search down the windy roads sometimes.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1710 Briargate Blvd #739
  Colorado Springs, CO 80920
• Website: www.icbingcafe.com
• Phone: 719-299-2350
• Email: kreadle@creakenterprises.com
• Instagram: ICBing Cafe
• Facebook: ICBing Cafe
• Twitter: ICBing Cafe
• Yelp: ICBing Cafe
• Other: ICBing Cafe

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