The CCA’s GF 101 Sessions are normally  ‘Members Only’ BUT because we know that so many people need this kind of support, we have opened up the webinar to the public. Everyone welcome! Who is Ellen Bayens?

Communication is the key ingredient to every successful gluten-free restaurant meal. When diners, chefs and servers are able to collaborate on what is required and what can be reasonably delivered, there is cause for celebration!

But where to begin?

The following is a list of suggested questions to help Start the Conversation on Celiac-Friendly Dining©. In very short order, the responses you receive will allow you to gage any given restaurant’s degree of  gluten awareness – and willingness.  For the very best outcome, call ahead or take your host or server aside before ordering.

NOTE: Restaurants that have carefully researched how to serve us love going into detail. If your questions are met with impatience and exasperation – go with your gut. When restaurants get gluten free right, reward them generously!

Question #1

• Please tell me about the meals  you recommend to diners who need to eat gluten free?

Ingredients

• What ingredients will be used to make my order?
• How do staff  know whether ingredients are really gluten free?
  • Says so on labels?
  • Checked product website?
  • Called the manufacturer?
  • Checked with The Celiac Scene? The CCA?
• Will pure spices, prepared seasonings or soy sauce made from wheat be used to make my meal?
• What other food items are cooked in the oil that ‘gluten-free’ items are cooked in?
• How are sauces and dressings thickened?

Procedures

• How will my server communicate with the kitchen that a gluten-free order has been placed?
• How are gluten-free orders prepared in relation to the regular flow of the kitchen?
• Will staff wash their hands / change gloves / change aprons clean surfaces before preparing my order?
• How do staff ensure that all utensils used in preparing my food are free from any trace of gluten?
  • Separate or scrubbed frying pan? Griddle scrubbed? Aluminum foil barrier? Dedicated pots? Dedicated colanders?
• What other precautions do staff take to minimize / prevent cross contamination?
• How will my server confirm with the kitchen that the order they are collecting has been prepared gluten free?
• How will my server confirm that the order they are delivering to me is gluten free?
  

How did the restaurant learn how to meet the needs of gluten-free diners?

• Through The Celiac Scene? Canadian Celiac Association?
• Registered dietitian? Local health authority?
• Staff members with celiac disease?
  

Questions Specific to Pizza Restaurants 

• The risk of cross contamination with airborne gluten flour is HIGH. Partake only if strict protocols are in place to protect your safety.
• Are ‘gluten-free’ crusts prepared on-site? 
  • During regular operations? Before regular production? During downtimes / days?
  • See questions in Ingredient section above.
• Are pre-made ‘gluten-free’ crusts purchased from a dedicated gluten-free manufacturer? Who is the manufacturer?
• How are gluten-free sauces and toppings prepared?
  • During regular operations? Before regular production? During downtimes / days
  • See questions in Ingredient section above.
• How do staff ensure that all utensils used in preparing gluten-free orders are free of any trace of gluten?
• How are utensils, crusts, sauces and toppings protected from cross-contamination with gluten while waiting to be used?
• How will my order be protected from cross-contamination with gluten once it has been prepared and/or while waiting to be served?

If the prospect of grilling restaurants about their gluten-free friendliness feels intimidating, you’ve got options!

Visit The Celiac Scene for restaurants that enjoy an excellent reputation within Victoria and Vancouver Island’s celiac community.

Join Victoria’s Gluten-Free Foodies to dine with a gluten-free group at carefully vetted restaurants. With more than 100 Meet-Ups under our belts, choose from a huge inventory of tried and tested celiac-friendly restaurants.

Join the Mid-Island Gluten-Free Foodies as they dine at Boston Pizza at 5779 Turner Rd in Nanaimo.

Monday, February 3rd at 11:30am. RSVP to Anne at annezahara@shaw.ca or 250-240-0708.

“We are a fun bunch who like to socialize and support one another as we live gluten free. Friends and significant others welcome. You do not need to be gluten-free to join us!”

Boston Pizza offers a dedicated Gluten-Wise® menu with dishes specially developed for the gluten free.

• Learn more about their Gluten-Wise® philosophy.
• View their complete Gluten-Wise® Menu
• Create your own Gluten-Wise® pasta!
• Create your own Gluten-Wise® pizza! (now made with a cauliflower crust!)

With every gluten-free order, a new, dedicated prep line is set up in the kitchen. This means that the area is sanitized, a complete set utensils are used and new ingredients / toppings are taken out of refrigeration. All ingredients have been vetted to be gluten-free and all gluten-free meals have been developed and constructed to be safe for celiacs. Chefs wash their hands before beginning preparations and they stay on the single task of preparing a meal from start to finish.

Boston Pizza uses All But Gluten  Buns for their Chicken Club Sandwich and Burgers.

‘Dining-in’ is back at 900 Degrees Wood-Fired Pizzeria Langford 4:30 to 8pm

Introducing 900° 2 Go! Contactless Take-Out & Curb-Side Pick Up.

900 Degrees offers delivery up to 7km distance. Enter your address at https://900degrees.moduurn.com for eligibility and to calculate your delivery charge (between $3.50 and $5.50.)

Build Your Own

Organic tomato sauce, house-made lemon olive, aged balsamic reduction, brie cream sauce, chilli oil, house-made pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, & pizza dough, to go!

Phone orders 250-590-4493. Special COVID-19 hours, open daily from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Order online here

• 900 Degrees Wood-Fired Pizza 101B 2401 Millstream Avenue, Victoria (250) 590-4493
• Menu • Facebook • Instagram
• Contact Executive Chef & Owner Adrian Ortiz-Mena

My curiosity about 900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria was piqued when I read in the September Edition of Eat Magazine (page 27)  that the owner’s son was a celiac. Executive Chef and Owner, Adrian Ortiz-Mena was quoted as saying,

• “I think the most innovative thing we have done is bringing really good gluten-free pizza to our customers. My son was diagnosed celiac when he was 5 years old … and he loved pizza. It broke my heart thinking that he could no longer have pizza, so I developed a gluten-free pizza dough just for him. It was a real challenge, a labour of love.”

The Celiac Scene needed to learn more!

I popped into this warm and inviting restaurant on a cold and rainy September night, hoping for the opportunity to speak to a chef or server about their gluten-free options.

I was pleasantly surprised when Adrian himself bounded from the back of the restaurant only too eager to share his son’s health journey and how he had worked at home to create a gluten-free crust that met his discerning chef standards. Using one of the best all-purpose gluten-free flour mixes on the market and few extra-special ingredients, he was able to create a crust that pleased his son – and one that Adrian believed would please his customers.

The details.

As our community well knows, it takes more that a crust to create a gluten-free pizza. Adrian set about to contact the manufacturers of every ingredient used in his entire operation to ensure that the components used in all of his pizzas were celiac-safe. Apart from the wheat flour used for his regular crusts and the garlic bread, every ingredient that 900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria in house is gluten-free.

What about the process?

Adrian brimmed with enthusiasm as he explained that gluten-free pizzas are entirely prepared in a dedicated gluten-free area, in a room away from the regular production area. Sauces and toppings are stored in dedicated containers and applied with dedicated utensils that are never used to dress regular pizzas.

When a gluten-free order is processed, the chef washes his hands – up to his elbows – before starting work on an the order. When complete, the  pizza is placed on a dedicated gluten-free pizza peel (handle) and transported to the 900˚ pizza oven where it is cooked to perfection.

Here’s where it gets complicated.

At 900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria,  pizzas are cooked directly on the hearth of their single pizza oven, where other gluten pizzas have also been cooked.  The concern on my face prompted Adrian to escort me directly to the oven itself where he proceeded to sweep to the side the burnt, charcoal dust of the pizza crusts that had been cooked.

While Adrian whole heartedly agreed with me that deep frying food at a standard 325-375˚F does not destroy gluten, he maintains that incinerating to 900˚residual gluten crumbs and flour from previously cooked pizzas and then sweeping them aside, most assuredly does.

That said,  900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria  is pleased to cook gluten-free pizzas on sanitized pizza pans for any gluten-free diner’s peace of mind. As a wood-fired pizza purist however,  Adrian cautions that cooking pizza on a pan may generate different results.

Final consideration.

900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria  is most assuredly a pizza lover’s pizzeria. Gluten pizza dough is thrown into the air with gusto, wheat flour coats the kitchen floor like dance dust and a fine coat of flour is evident on surfaces throughout the main preparation area.

That said after two  years’ serving gluten-free pizza, Adrian shared that there have been no reports from gluten-free diners that they have experienced gluten contamination.

As Adrian is quoted as saying in the EAT Magazine article, “I don’t think we really did anything new – we just did it better!”

I would have to agree: for celiac diners who are comfortable with these practices or those who avoid gluten as a lifestyle choice, 900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria sets the gluten-free bar as high as I have seen it on Vancouver Island.

Love Pasta?

900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria stages occasional pasta specials and always offer the option of Italy’s Schar Gluten-Free Pasta to gluten-free diners!

Gluten-Free Beer?

900˚ Wood Fired Pizza is pleased to serve 100% gluten-free Forager Beer, made in Whistler from sorghum and rice. 

“Where to Eat in Canada” adds @900.degrees to it’s list of worthy restaurants, calling their pizza “as close to perfection as it’s possible to get,” and one of only a handful of restaurants here in Victoria named “Good Buys”. Check out the full review on page 306 of the 2017-18 guide published by Oberon Press. Pick up your copy today!

Find Six Mile Pub at 494 Old Island Highway in View Royal, British Columbia
250-478-3121 • Free Parking • Accessible •

Six Mile Pub • Menus with ‘GF’ Notations • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

RSVP at ellen@theceliacscene.com or through Victoria’s GF Foodies.

Six Mile Pub Believes in Great Food that just happens to be Gluten Free! 
• All of Six Mile’s deep fryers are gluten free
• Proprietary gluten-free flours expertly blended in house
• Contraband flours are stored away from the prep hall
• Gluten-free kitchen guidelines in place
• Gluten-free education / staff training is ongoing
• Menu has GF icons marking house-made, gluten-free products. Enjoy!

Providing us with the gluten-free options we love for Patio Dining, Take Out or Delivery: Bangers • Bean Tacos • Calamari • Crab Cake • Crispy Cauliflower • Fish & Chips • Nasi Goreng • Pan-Seared Cod • Perogies • Poutine • Seafood Paella • Shepherd’s Pie • SixNature Wings • Thai Chicken Salad & so much more! Decadent desserts, too!

Gluten-Free Beer! Whistler Forager in Bottles • Ciders • Glutenberg

Open for Indoor Dining, Take-Out & Delivery

• MON – THURS 11:00am – 8:00pm
• FRI & SAT 11:00am – 10:00pm
• SUN 11:00am – 8:00pm
• BRUNCH Sat & Sun 11am – 2pm
• HAPPY HOUR Daily 3pm – 6pm
• RIVERSIDE PATIO: open for seating between mid-Spring and mid-Fall.

The 160 year-old View Royal pub that served the Gold Rush has set the gold standard for gluten free! It has seating for over 300 guests, including some on the Riverside Patio that overlooks Millstream.

Their pub fare is created with culinary flare. Six Mile is proud to serve ‘SIX-Nature’ chicken wings, deep-fried halibut and – wait for it –  safe french fries, yam fries and even onion rings cooked in a dedicated deep fryer!

Six Mile Pub’s Red Seal Chefs and their protégées pride themselves on meeting the needs of celiac diners and  anyone with sensitivities i.e. dairy, soy, nuts or shellfish.

Be sure to ask for their ‘Feature Sheet!’

• Six Mile Pub Celebrates 160 Years in View Royal

There’s a cozy corner,  a sun-drenched patio or a pool table just right for you. Families are welcome with a menu made with the celiac child in mind. The family room also makes a great space for group functions.

• TESTIMONIAL:  Just had dinner last night at the 6 Mile Pub on Old Island Highway. Wow! I have eaten here before but was amazed again at the GF menu selection, presentation, deliciousness, and the feeling of safety eating there. We went with another family and it was so awesome that I could share food with others who easily ordered GF even though they aren’t Celiac because there is just so many good things to choose from. The calamari is the best I have had anywhere. All the desserts were gluten free. How is this possible I wondered? I asked the waitress and she told me the chef is Celiac! We need more Celiac chefs that are this creative!! I this has got to be best restaurant for dinner for Celiacs in the Victoria area.

Six Mile produces its own light and fluffy gluten-free buns with a Celiac Scene Approved Secret Ingredient!

Six Mile Pub pulls out all the gluten-free stops – every Sunday! Gluten-free hotcake stack, eggs benedict, omelettes, hash browns and amazing desserts! Gots Kids? Ask to be seated in the Family Room and order from the Kids Menu!

Unique at The Six Mile

• We do not own or use microwave ovens
• Only high-quality oil is used in our fryers. While more costly, the quality is in the taste and the value is in its healthful properties
• We serve handmade artisan products including pasta, sausages & bread
• Our apiary produces an abundance of honey that we use in many recipes
• All seafood options are recommended by the Vancouver Aquarium as ocean-friendly
• Patrons of all ages (including minors) are always welcome

The historic Six Mile Pub is the Oldest Pub in BC. It has seating for over 300 guests, including some on the Riverside Patio that overlooks Millstream. All menu items, are prepared from scratch using thoughtfully and responsibly sourced ingredients.

Let’s meet up and try one of the most elusive of gluten-free cuisines – celiac-safe Japanese food!

Room for only 7 attendees. 

Tuesday, May 16 at 6pm
Ebizo Japanese Restaurant
604 Broughton St
(250) 383-3234
MENU • Facebook • Instagram

Email ellen@theceliacscene.com to RSVP

Thank you to Pure Lovin’ for their donation of delicious organic, gluten-free, vegan chocolates as a very special ‘Treat to Go!’

Based on the great experience of one of our most intrepid Gluten-Free Foodies, I popped in to speak with Ebizo about their ability to serve celiac diners.

Server Nigh-Yee readily identified which rolls, nigiri and sashimi are already gluten free, or could be adapted to be so. They can furnish us with gluten-free soy sauce.

I asked that on this occasion, that the chefs be made aware that our group requires 100% gluten-free food and to take any extra precautions to necessary to assure our safety.

Ebizo is a small restaurant so they only take reservations for groups of seven or less. This means this meet up is quite exclusive and that if you are interested, best to sign up soon!

Arigato!

______

Pictures from the Meet Up! 

🐟 Join Victoria’s Gluten-Free Foodies at the Floating Fish Store at Fisherman’s Wharf on Saturday, October 28 at 1 pm.

Floating Fish Store is offering attendees a 25% discount on gluten-free fried items, in our honour!

MORE! $1.00 off Whistler GF Beer and $1.00 off Merridale Cider!

Enjoy the fresh air of Fisherman’s Wharf or cuddle up in their cozy, heated enclosure!

LOOK FOR ELLEN IN HER BRIGHT YELLOW SLICKER!

TESTIMONIAL

• Outstanding!!!!!!!!++ Gluten free everything, tastes like real. Any fish battered in gluten-free batter. Soooooo good. We had halibut rock cod and oysters UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!

• Click for English Menu • Français • Español • Deutsch • 简体中
• Fresh Fish • Blog – Fresh Catches • About the Floating Fish Store • floatingfishstore.com
• Contact the Fish Store • (250) 383-6462 • Facebook • Instagram • Twitter

Scan QR Code for Floating Fish Store’s Menu in 5 Languages!

• Lots of seating available on the dock or in their  cozy, heated licensed seating area
• Now serving hot chocolate, latte, espressos & cappuccinos
• Open 11:00 to 7:00, 7 days a week. 
• Call 250-383-6462 to pre-order
• Floating Fish Store is not using delivery services at this time.

Why the Gluten-Free Love the Floating Fish Store

• Dedicated deep fryer for fresh-cut, twice-fried gluten-free french fries
• Certified Gluten-Free Sorghum light-crisp batter for deep-fried fish, cooked in a dedicated fryer)
• Gluten-Free Home-Made Tartar Sauce & Coleslaw
• Gluten-Free Halibut Malu – Local Halibut simmered w/ onions, lentils, tomatoes & a hint of curry, finished w/ cilantro & lime
• Gluten-Free Tacos by Taco Revolution! – Soft corn tortilla, house smoked tomato salsa, shredded cabbage, citrus cream, fresh cilantro & lime
• Salads with home-made, gluten-free dressings: Toasted Sesame • Balsamic Vinaigrette • Buttermilk Ranch • Olive Oil w/ Balsamic Vinegar & Lemon
• Steamers​ – shellfish gently steamed & served when just done.
• The finest live oysters from BC waters served on a bed of ice, lemon & your choice of cocktail sauce, hot sauce, ginger, mignonette, preserved lemon mignonette, cucumber & jalapeno mignonette, pickled red onion mignonette or freshly grated horseradish
• Oyster selection varies by day. Come often!
• Daily Buck-a-Shuck from 4-5 pm
• View the menus below.

Celiac-Safe Touch – Let your server know that you require a gluten-free meal and they will call your order out,  all on its own.  No chance of collecting the wrong order.  Much appreciated!

Not only does the Floating Fish Stores cook seafood, they sell and ship it!

Kudos to The Floating Fish Store

• North America’s first 100% Ocean Wise Seafood Store & Restaurant
• Serving fresh catch from west coast waters – whenever possible
• Situated on Fisherman’s Wharf in beautiful Victoria, BC, Canada
• Experience a working harbour and stroll among colourful houseboats
• Surrounded by seals in their natural environment – you can almost reach out and touch them!

Join Victoria’s Gluten-Free Foodies for the finest in authentic, Italian dining!

Click here for 900 Degrees’ Gluten-Free Menu & Pricing. In person,  ask for the ‘Red Menu!’

Thursday, November 23 from 6 – 7:30 PM
RSVP to ellen@theceliacscene.com

NOTE from The Celiac Scene: Only gluten-free flour is used on the prep line and to dust the oven floor. Flour is denatured at a temperature of 900˚.  In the event that residual flour might remain, it would be gluten free.

Open 7 days per week 11:30am to 8pm.

Reserve online or call (250) 590-4493
Order Takeout – Pick up at 101B 2401 Millstream Avenue.
Gift Certificates
900degrees.ca • Facebook • Instagram • contact@900degrees.ca •  Regular Menu

Watch 900 Degrees on CHEK NEWS Order Up!

Deli Products – Enjoy 900° quality products and ingredients at home! 900° offers a variety of top-quality deli products, from our house-made organic and gluten-free pizza dough, organic tomato sauce, fresh pesto and house desserts. More info

See also 900˚ BiSTRO in Sidney!

Great gluten-free news from owner, Adrian Ortiz:

“We have now launched a dedicated FULL GLUTEN-FREE MENU! There are over 30 GF items on our menu, including appetizers, salads and pizzas.”

“We have also COMPLETELY eliminated gluten flour for our pizza prep line – which now significantly decreases the possibility fo gluten cross contamination.”

‘ “In other words, “The only thing that is NOT GF is our regular dough, which is now prepared completely separately. There is absolutely no gluten flour online, which is the main concern for potential cross-contamination.” ‘

“ALL flour used online (even the one we use to stretch our traditional recipe dough) is Gluten-Free. All previous protocols of using separate utensils, tools and equipment for our GF food items are still enforced.”

Click here to view menu

Click here to view menu

Click here to view menu

TESTIMONIAL: We bought 2 GF pizzas(+1reg) here for take out last evening. It was soooooo goooood! Mine was vegetarian with a pesto sauce – yum!!!! Highly recommend this spot! 10/10 maybe even 15/10 😍  … Gloria

Love Pasta?

900˚ Wood-Fired Pizzeria stages occasional pasta specials and always offer the option of Italy’s Schar Gluten-Free Pasta to gluten-free diners!

Read the Reviews!

• https://issuu.com/garyhynes/docs/eat_magazine_sept-oct_2017
• https://issuu.com/garyhynes/docs/eat_magazine_march_april_2017

• https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1308429
• http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=615313

• http://issuu.com/page-one/docs/yam_mayjun2015/1
• http://issuu.com/page-one/docs/yam_mayjun2015/21