The number of people eating Gluten-Free continues to grow each year and it can be tricky for gluten-sensitive people to find safe restaurants to dine at. We want to make sure all of our customers feel at home at Next Door Food and Drink, no matter what dietary limitations they may have.

Knowing how important it is to many of our guests to have that safe dining haven, we’ve made sure to offer a variety of gluten-free options:

  • Gluten-free buns for our hamburgers
  • Home-made gluten-free crackers
  • Gluten-free pizza crust
  • At least 10 different gluten-free tapas

If you have questions and need assistance with making safe dining choices, our servers will be more than happy to help you!

In fact, our pastry chef, Evey has Celiac Disease. We thought we’d share some insight from her experience in our kitchen and gluten-free dining with you…

What is it like being a gluten-free pastry chef?

People are always surprised when I tell them I have Celiacs disease. I actually have an unusual form. For a small percentage of Celiac patients, it manifests as a type of dermatitis, without the severe digestive issues that many Celiacs experience. So I don’t fit the physical stereotype of someone who’s wasting away. Add to that the expectation that I’m elbow deep in flour all day. But in actuality, I spend most of my time working with other ingredients, and whenever it’s possible, I’ll substitute rice flour in a recipe.

Overall, It pushes me to think about pastry in a different way. I’m always looking for ways to include menu items for folks who have allergies and sensitivities, not just to gluten. I know first hand that eating out with food issues can be a real hassle and that really takes away from the pleasure of it. When I do make items with gluten, I have to rely on taste memory and touch rather than mouth feel to judge the quality. I’ve never had trouble finding volunteers to try recipes that I’m working on and give me feedback.

Any kitchen that is not exclusively gluten free is vulnerable to cross contamination issues, but we all do our best to make sure that it doesn’t happen. I make my gluten free baking a priority in the morning so that I’m working on it before any projects using flour or bread have started. That eliminates the possibility of picking up airborne flour particles or any residue on work surfaces.