food for thought

by andrea olson | photos by brady l. kay

Local business Rose Marie’s is dishing up an array of food such as fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, crispy chicken, and crave-worthy funnel cakes. What makes it different? It’s all gluten-free. 

“I tell people, ‘You won’t believe it’s gluten-free!’” said Rose Longacre, the owner of Rose Marie’s Gluten-Free. 

Rose Marie’s Gluten-Free is a family-run food truck and is located at 1480 North Woodruff Avenue. There’s a Chow Town Food Court across from the Hyundai dealership, and that’s where it’s at, along with other food trucks. 

“We offer a dedicated safe place for celiacs or for people who are avoiding gluten, have allergies or sensitivities, to eat all of the good foods that we tend to crave,” Rose said. 

Rose has been gluten-free for over 15 years. She avoids wheat, rye, barley, and some oats. Her daughter is the same way. She said there are not many places around the area that are gluten-free. 

“There are places around town that offer gluten-free options, but it just depends on how they prepare them or how cautious they are for us to actually be able to eat there,” Rose said. “That is why I created Rose Marie’s, for people like me, my daughter, and all of my customers to have a safe place to enjoy food and not have that worry.” 

It has taken her a few years to figure out good recipes for gluten-free food, but she has done it successfully and has learned how to make delicious fried foods. 

“My husband would go get crispy chicken from Wendy’s or McDonald’s, and then I’d get to smell it. I’m like, ‘Okay, I am going to figure this out!’” Rose said. 

She has always enjoyed cooking since she was a little girl. She’s been a baker since she was eight years old and learned from her mother. 

“I wanted chocolate chip cookies one day, and she handed me the cookbook and said, ‘Here you go.’ I said, ‘That’s not cookies.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, make them!’ I found out that I absolutely love to do that,” Rose said.

Now, she has taught all four of her children how to cook. Her entire family actually eats gluten-free because, Rose said while laughing, “I’m not cooking two meals.”

Her food truck opened on her birthday on July 21, 2022, and it was the best present. 

“Becoming my own boss was the best birthday present. Before then, I sold insurance, worked at Walmart, and worked in schools as a cafeteria helper. It was kind of nice to just be able to become my own employer,” she said. 

Her favorite part is watching people enjoy the food that she makes. 

“When we first opened, I took a cheeseburger out to a five-year-old little girl. She was almost in tears,” Rose recalled. “She goes, ‘I get to have a bun?’ I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I know the struggle because when I go out to eat, I’ll have a hamburger with the lettuce wrap, which is not very filling.”

Some popular items on the menu include the crispy chicken, either strips or sandwiches, and the onion rings.

“I am taking each little individual onion ring and putting it in batter and breading and making them. So it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it, because I get to see people enjoy food that they haven’t had in 20 years or so,” Rose said. 

Funnel cakes are available all year round, with customizing options such as topping them with strawberries, raspberries, peaches, cherries, and more. She takes her food truck to the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration during the Fourth of July and makes funnel cakes all day long. 

Rose Marie’s Gluten-Free additionally has warm lava cake with a ganache in the center. People can choose the toppings and have whipped cream and a cherry. Breakfast is also served all day long. 

“We have a breakfast burrito, a breakfast panini, and a breakfast sandwich. Our loaded tots bowl is really popular. It’s tater tots, like a burrito mix on the top and then sausage gravy, and that can also be made dairy-free. We also have crepes and a pancake on a stick,” Rose said. 

Her business brings many recurring customers that she knows by name, and new ones, too. 

“We have people from all over. We had one from Boston, Mass., come and find me. That’s what I love to hear, is when people are like, ‘I heard about you,’” Rose said. 

Rose Marie’s Gluten-Free is on DoorDash and she caters and the menu is not limited. A second food truck—which is their event truck—opened and is parked in Rexburg. 

“We are starting to expand, which is nice to bring a little bit more good food and opportunities to other towns,” she said.

If you want to learn more about Rose Marie’s Gluten-Free, follow the business on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. Hours are updated along with locations and events that it’s a part of. The current hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 7 pm and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm. She added that she hopes people will give her food a try.