If you’ve ever sunk your teeth into a slice of grain-free chocolate cake and wondered how something so decadent could still be considered clean eating, chances are you’ve already fallen under the spell of Sweet Laurel Bakery. Founded by longtime friends Laurel Gallucci and Claire Thomas, Sweet Laurel is more than just a bake shop—it’s a love letter to wholesome indulgence, rooted in healing, friendship, and a whole lot of almond flour.
Laurel’s journey began with a personal health crisis that led her to adopt a grain-free, refined sugar-free lifestyle—without giving up dessert. Enter Claire, a creative force with a flair for storytelling and food styling, who helped bring Laurel’s vision to life in the most beautiful, brand-forward way. Together, the duo built a bakery (and a cult-followed brand) that marries clean ingredients with timeless, crave-worthy recipes, all wrapped in a dreamy, vintage aesthetic that’s instantly recognizable.
In this week’s Living Well, we caught up with the founders to talk healing, creativity, and why baking with love is the best ingredient of all.
Living Well with Laurel Gallucci & Claire Thomas
Your journey to creating Sweet Laurel began as a personal healing mission—how did that evolve into a full-fledged brand? Sweet Laurel began as a healing journey that resonates with many. We have evolved into a brand that educates and inspires our community daily through our cookbooks, our products, and our social media. We aim to make Sweet Laurel accessible to as many people as possible. I think this is all possible because of the awesome community we’ve fostered over the years.
Your brand is proof that indulgence and wellness can go hand in hand. What’s the biggest myth about “healthy” baking that you love to debunk? That healthy baked goods don’t taste good or have the right texture. We love debunking that one! All our baked goods are delicious and filled with wholesome, real-food ingredients.
When it comes to creating new recipes, what’s your creative process like? It’s usually what we’re actually eating or what our friends and family are asking for!
If you could only eat one Sweet Laurel treat for the rest of your life, what would it be? Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread– i actually averaged one a day when pregnant with my second child — the protein, good fats and fiber kept me fueled!
The recent fires were a huge challenge—what did you learn from that experience about resilience and community? We want to be here for our community. We decided to put one foot in front of the other and move forward every day, just like our friends and neighbors have been doing in our beloved Pacific Palisades community. We are serving our delicious baked goods daily out of our commissary in Santa Monica, a quick pivot due to the closure of our Palisades Cake Shop because of the fire. We know there has been immense loss in our community, and providing a little goodness during this time makes us so happy.
If someone were to start a grain-free kitchen from scratch, what are the pantry essentials they should have? We call this our 5 core ingredient principle in the Sweet Laurel Cookbook – almond flour, coconut oil, 100% maple syrup, Himalayan pink salt, and organic eggs.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs, what would it be? Find mentors or friends you can talk to, people who inspire you, people who can give you advice or pick up the phone and help you work through an issue.
What’s one major shift in the food industry that excites you right now? Better for you is a trend that is always picking up momentum, and even more so now. It’s been awesome to see how much more awareness consumers have about what they are putting in and on their bodies compared to ten years ago.
What’s one trait every successful entrepreneur needs to cultivate? Resilience. Moving forward despite the obstacles.
If Sweet Laurel had a signature scent, what would it be? Obviously, garden roses!
Complete this sentence: Living well means… having the time to care for yourself and others in a beautiful and wholesome way. Spending time outside and in nature as much as possible!
