If you ever find yourself on Pueblo’s historic Union Avenue and have a craving for something sweet, head straight to—where else—Sweet Ella’s. It’s where you’ll find a selection of bakery items that will satisfy just about any desire you might have. Better yet! Whatever you choose, just might be the healthiest sweet treat you’ve ever tasted.
Sweet Ella’s came to fruition from the unlikeliest of realities, say owners Estrella and Andrew Vigil. In fact, except for the success of their little sweet shop, the whole thing came about from a moment of just bad luck, what no parent would want.
When their daughter, Ella, now seven, was two and a half, she suddenly began experiencing a swelling in her knee. “I took her to the ER,” said Estrella, “because it (the swelling) wasn’t going down.” The doctors told the Vigils “It was inflammation,” and sent them home. That was just the start of an odyssey that wouldn’t end.
Within a few days, Ella’s whole body was in a fight with itself. “It spread,” said Estrella. There was severe stiffness, she said. “She was in pain all over.” There was also a rash all over the little girl’s body. None of the doctors the Vigils consulted seemed to have an answer.
“We made multiple trips to Children’s Hospital in Denver and Colorado Springs,” said husband, Andrew. Finally, one of the doctors told the Vigils that their daughter had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA, a disease that affects less than 200,000 young people each year. Its symptoms were consistent with what Ella had been showing but that no one seemed to diagnose.
There is no known cure for JRA, but it can be managed. But the method of managing Ella’s and the one doctors were suggesting, said the Vigils, wasn’t what they wanted for their Ella. “They wanted to inject her,” said Andrew, “and wanted to do it weekly or monthly.” But after a lot of research and learning of its potential risks, the Vigils said ‘no.’ “If you read the data,” on the side effects of what doctors were recommending, he said, the cure might be worse than the illness. Injections, the data show, also carry a host of other potential side effects, ranging from Lupus-like syndrome to malignant lymphoma to long term skin rash.
Not long after, they found a naturopathic doctor. “He suggested we look at diet,” said Andrew. “That was some- thing we never considered.” Up to that point, the Vigils thought their own organic diet was healthy. It might have been but still rife with a lot of hidden ingredients including excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, processed flour and a variety of ‘unpronounceables.’ “We got home that afternoon and literally threw out everything in the pantry and fridge,” he said. Ella’s condition, said Andrew, improved almost immediately. It was an epiphany and beginning of a journey to wellness and entrepreneurship.
In short order, they began researching and fine-tuning healthy recipes. The research and development produced results. It also marked an ‘alpha-omega’ moment for Andrew.
He left his job in the car business—he was a store manager—and dove into the new world of nutrition. While he still thinks of himself as a ‘car guy,’ everything in his and his wife’s new turn has worked out. Their first on-line sales went well and this past July 8th, the couple opened ‘Sweet Ella’s,’ on Union. It’s a block away from the city’s River Walk and a perfect complement to the ice cream shops and antique stores that line the street.
The store’s fares, said Andrew, contain “no gluten, dairy and no nitrates.” Still, he promises they’re as good or better than anything sold in a traditional bake shop. Their cookies, muffins, bagels—everything you see—is baked from nature. Everything is natural. No processed flour; it’s oat. No sugar, instead, honey. Andrew, who does most of the baking, says the chocolate chip cookies they sell are not just as good as any you’ll find in a traditional bake shop but better and healthier!
It’s a team effort at Sweet Ella’s they say. Andrew mixes, bakes and fills the display. Estrella works the front of the store. Ella, she does her part, as well. “She’s not your average child,” said Andrew. She talks with the customers and makes suggestions.
They’re also confident that Ella understands her condition and aren’t worried that the peer pressure to slip up and snack on something that’s not good for her, isn’t going to happen. “She knows the consequences,” Andrew says. “She knows that a small treat is not worth the effects it may cause.”
The Vigils are certainly not your average family. They’ve taken a potential life changing moment and turned it into a whole new journey. It’s transformed what may have been a long-term health issue for their little girl into an opportunity to not only add quality to their lives, but to add the same to their customers.
An added plus is how Ella’s and their new approach to nutrition has worked out for extended family. “They’ve learned a lot from us,” she said. Family gatherings and potlucks still have a lot of the same foods, they’re just made a bit different, a little healthier but still delicious.
Sweet Ella’s hours are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday. Its Saturday hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. More information can also be found at sweetellasco.com.
