Gluten-Free Events Calendar
If it’s gluten free and happening in Victoria, Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands, you’ll find it listed here! From tastings to contests, farmer’s markets to food trucks – this is your calendar to Gluten-Free Paradise! Join Victoria’s Gluten-Free Foodies and add a new restaurant – and possibly a new gluten-free friend – to your repertoire!
A Very Special Gluten-Free Mother’s Day Brunch & Dinner
at Union Street Bar & Grill in Courtenay
(scroll down for menus)
BRUNCH NOTES: Enjoy the Shrimp Omelette gluten free or adapt the Back Bacon English Muffin with a gluten-free English muffin. Brunch is 11-4
DINNER NOTES: all items are gluten-free or can be adapted to gluten free. Dinner 5-9
Reserve: 250-897-0081 • 477 5th Street in Courtenay
unionstreetgrill.ca • Facebook • Twitter
Menu • Music and Events • About Union Street Grill • Testimonials • Blog
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Print Brunch Menu • Print Dinner Menu
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Anyone tuned into Vancouver Island’s gluten-free dining scene has heard the call of Union Street Grill & Grotto’s amazing celiac-friendly menu – with its extensive selection of gluten-free appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Union Street Grill’s recipe is simple and effective – provide the Comox Valley with three essential ingredients! Good Food, Good Drinks and Good Times!
Check out their daily gluten-free specials here!
SUNDAYS AFTER 5PM: Kids’ meals are $2 off. Seniors receive a 10% discount. Frequent Diners earn double points!
APOLOGIES TO ALL! BENJAMIN”S BITES WILL NOT BE APPEARING. Special orders up to Christmas still welcome at info@benjaminsbites.com or 250-884-3093.
benjaminsbites.com • Facebook • Twitter
About Benjamin’s Bites
Benjamin’s Bites Cookies and Brownies are made with documented to be 100% gluten-free, peanut/tree nut free, soy-free ingredients. These vegan treats are produced in a “home kitchen,” using a strict cross-contamination prevention protocol. For further information, please contact Benjamin’s Bites directly at info@benjaminsbites.com or 250-884-3093.
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Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Peanut-Free, Tree-Nut-Free, Sesame-Free, Soy-Free, Sulfite-Free
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Vegetarian, Vegan, Kosher, GMO free
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Camino chocolate is organic and fair trade from LaSiembra Cooperative
- Complete Ingredient List: GF flours (rice, potato starch, tapioca starch, sorghum), vegan margarine or palm shortening, vegan sugar, flax, chia, water, cocoa, chocolate, organic apples, GF oats, cinnamon, chai spice, raisins, coconut milk, non-gmo canola oil, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, sunflower butter, skittles candy, molasses, custard powder, coconut, vegan icing sugar.
S’mores Cupcakes
Benjamin’s Bites’ Back Story
Benjamin’s Bites Cookies were borne out of necessity. At fourteen months, Tony and Debbie discovered that their son, Benjamin, had multiple food allergies. It was heartbreaking and frightening to see his body react with real physical symptoms.
After eliminating everything that Benjamin’s body was reacting to, the next step was to eat as many whole foods as possible. Debbie had always been a “label reader” but became increasingly concerned when she picked up product after product and realized, “No, he can’t have this.” It was challenging, but after searching they found a variety of foods which were safe for Benjamin. The one thing we were unable to find was a cookie which tasted both homemade and was also appealing to those without food intolerances. The family had some tough critics when it came to sweets. They were the perfect test subjects!
Like Debbie’s Grandma and Mom, I loved to bake. She challenged herself to create a cookie that contained no gluten, eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, or sulphites. The flour blends found in the stores just didn’t seem to have the taste she was searching for. Why not mill her own, she thought? She purchased a home grain mill and, after many combinations of grains, came up with ‘Benjamin’s Bites Flour Blend.’
Debbie began to bake cookies and bake cookies and bake cookies! After almost two years of test baking (and some real hockey pucks), she had a cookie that was free of gluten, eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and sulphites. The best thing? It tasted really good.
Our mission has never changed: to create a gluten free/allergy friendly cookie that tasted homemade and used familiar and pronounceable ingredients.
They were developed for people who can’t eat a regular cookie due to allergies or gluten sensitivities, but the upshot is that people without food intolerances are enjoying them, too! We encourage everyone to taste Benjamin’s Bites Cookies, always checking the ingredients before sharing. We do have some tricks up our sleeves, so be on the lookout for more Benjamin’s Bites products soon.
Friday, February 14 from 5pm
All dishes are gluten-free or can be prepared gluten-free.
Be sure to specify your dietary needs when you reserve.
250-897-0081 • 477 – 5th Street in Courtenay
Click here for printer-friendly version
Click on image to enlarge
Anyone tuned into Vancouver Island’s gluten-free dining scene has heard the call of Union Street Grill & Grotto’s amazing celiac-friendly menu – with its extensive selection of gluten-free appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Union Street Grill’s recipe is simple and effective – provide the Comox Valley with three essential ingredients! Good Food, Good Drinks and Good Times!
Check out their daily gluten-free specials here!
SUNDAYS AFTER 5PM: Kids’ meals are $2 off. Seniors receive a 10% discount. Frequent Diners earn double points!
El Faro Flour Market Table at Qualicum Beach Farmer’s Market • Facebook • Instagram
Gluten-Free Cookies and El Faro Market’s famous flour for sale!
El Faro Gluten Free Flour – Artisan Blend – Hand-crafted in Small Batches in Parksville, Vancouver Island.
- “Your flour has given me my life back. I can bake again for the first time in years confidently.”
Watch the El Faro Flour video!
Secret El Faro Flour Scone Recipe!
El Faro Chocolate Cookies!
From desserts to scones to fish & chips, El Faro’s Flour Blend forms the foundation of all of the baking at El Faro Fusion’s 100% gluten-free restaurant. Now we can enjoy their artisan mix in our own kitchens!
HOURS: Thurs 4-8 • Fri + Sat 12-8 • Sun 12-5
“From hard times come small gifts. In the spring of 2019 we formulated our gluten-free flour and then sidelined the project. During Covid we couldn’t find our favourite gluten-free flour and everything we tried just didn’t measure up to our expectations in creating our favourite baked goods.”
“We pulled out the formula we created and made our favourite scones with it. We nailed it!! The quality, taste and texture were beyond our wildest dreams for anything gluten free. We then shared it with our valued customers and friends for feedback and their overwhelming positive feedback and encouragement led us to you!! We are so excited for you to try our flour for all of your baking adventures!”
“We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your baking adventures with us at elfarofusion@yahoo.com“
Testimonials
“Little by little I am working through my favourite cookie recipes now using your flour. Nothing but success! These ones are particularly good, ginger crinkles! They turned out better than ever. With your flour I am actually thoroughly enjoying baking (and eating) my gluten-free treats again!”
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“Today I made one of my favourite recipes that I haven’t been able to make for years … Toblerone Shortbread. Oh my goodness, they turned out so well! You’ve restored my faith in baking. Thank you so much!”
Ingredients: Brown Rice Flour, White Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, Sweet Rice Flour, Arrowroot Starch and Xanthan Gum.
Carrying Retailers
- BCause
- Better U Market (Qualicum Beach)
- Chemainus Health Food Store
- Country Grocer (Salt Spring Island)
- El Faro 100% Gluten-Free Restaurant & Market (631 Island Highway in Parksville)
- Edible Island (Courtney)
- Fairway Market (Quadra)
- Farmgate Store (Mayne Island)
- Gaia Grocery (Tofino)
- Lifestyle Markets (Douglas Street)
- Market on Millstream (Langford)
- Market on Yates (Victoria)
- Old Farm Market (Oak Bay)
- Pepper’s Foods (Cadboro Bay)
- Pomme Natural Market (Nanaimo)
- Tru Value Foods (Pender Island)
El Faro Fusion 100% Gluten-Free Restaurant in Parksville
“We put love in our food and it comes back to us! If you’re one of life’s adventurers, you will always be welcome at El Faro.”
HOURS: Thurs 4-8 • Fri + Sat 12-8 • Sun 12-5
About El Faro
“At El Faro, we create 100% gluten-free, oat-free naturally hand-crafted fusion cuisine. We believe that good food heals the body as well as the soul. All our dishes are vibrant, delicious, fresh and fun and made with locally sourced, organic and sustainable ingredients.” Learn more …
- “We stopped in on Sunday and this place is great. At first we drove right past it, the outside doesn’t jump out at you as a restaurant. Don’t let that fool you, the food was outstanding. To me, the hallmark of a good/great celiac eatery is that as you eat your food, you would never know that everything is gluten free. Four of us weren’t celiac and the meal was delicious. Any time we venture as far north as Nanaimo, we’ll be taking a detour through Parksville to eat here, we barely scratched the surface of the menu.”
