For a kid with a severe sensitivity to nuts, there aren't many things more upsetting than being left out on treat day when your classmates are enjoying heavily sweetened, yet allergy-causing confections. In 2007, the BC government imposed regulations to restrict unhealthy food marketing practices in schools and prohibited such baked goods to be sold for fundraising purposes; subsequently, treat day was cancelled.
In a nutshell, this was the catalyst behind TheClever Cupcakes, Coquitlam's peanut- and nut-free facility where founders Elsa and Juan Escobedo create an all-natural, healthier alternative to the otherwise sugar-laden temptress.
Mexico City expats, Juan and Elsa immigrated to Canada in 1996 with the plan to someday start their own business. Juan left the accounting field and Elsa packed up her Adobe Creative Suite and said goodbye to graphic design to raise their family. Their nine-year-old son lives with a serious peanut and nut allergy that warrants he carry an EpiPen anywhere he goes, and despite the tool, he's established a savvy knack for label reading.
