At Melissa's bed and breakfast serves up gluten-free meals

After going gluten-free more than five yeas ago, Melissa Clink, owner of At Melissa's beach cottage bed-and-breakfast, has updated the menu for her guest house. Some visitors now come for the gluten-free breakfast, she said, but many others barely notice.

That's because, after eyeing up the breakfast spread she puts out daily, with cereals, champagne, waffles, fresh fruits, muffins and even gluten-free oatmeal, it's hard to believe all the options contain no gluten.

Clink said she's perfected her recipes for herself and for service in her 6-room bed and breakfast, which can accommodate as many as 25 guests during the summer.

"You can make anything gluten-free," Clink said. "It's just about flours. Gluten is what gives things structure, so when you take that out, you have to put other things in to give body."

She cites xanthan gum as a suitable substitute that does not aggravate her celiac disease. She said her recipes have been perfected over five years of trial-and-error.

Since word got out about her gluten-free spread, Clink said sometimes guests who are lodging elsewhere call her to stop in for her breakfasts.

Personally, Clink said, going gluten-free has changed her life, eliminating her digestive troubles and illness, but she is sensitive to the dietary concerns of all her guests, and so far, the approach has worked. She's only got one weekend open through November and then closes up for a couple months through the winter.

Each of the guest rooms at her 1910 beach house comes equipped with a private bath and high-quality bedding in a cozy atmosphere, said Judy Lee, a Virginia Beach resident who has been a guest in At Melissa's each summer since 1998.

"It's so nice, and it's always clean," Lee said. "She is always friendly and has got comfortable beds and a good breakfast. Plus she always steers us to good places for dinner."

Beyond breakfast, she said, Clink is always whipping up sweet treats and even offers libations like gluten-free beer.

"You should have been here yesterday for the chocolate cake," she said.

Breakfast is served at a buffet in the dining room, but with a large porch in front of the house and a comfortable dining area in the back yard, the owner said her guests typically have plenty of space to spread out and enjoy a leisurely morning meal.

"When the porch is full and the outside is full, you never feel like there's that many people here," Clink said.

For more information or to inquire about reservations for next season, call 302-227-7504 or go to www.atmelissas.com.