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!
Come do your Christmas baking under the guidance Kate Cram & Team while sipping local wines and eating appetizers!
You will take home 4 dozen pieces of Christmas baking to enjoy over the holidays.
• Sunday, December 14 7-9:30 pm
• $85
• Ages 19+
• Learn more here.
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Wild Poppy Bakery & Bistro
A must-visit destination for anyone who loves fabulous baking – full stop!
(Closed Sundays, Mondays & Stat Holidays)
Wild Poppy serves savoury breakfasts and light lunches with soup, baguettes and everything you could ask for in a deli – all from documented to be gluten-free, peanut-free ingredients. Nut-free and vegan options available.
Daily Specials – with delicious photos – are posted on their Facebook page!
Find Wild Poppy just one quick block off the Trans Canada Highway 1 in Ladysmith – turn left at the Buller Street lights. 541 1st Ave. Click here for map.
Hours: Tues-Fri 8-5 Sat 8-4 Closed Sundays, Mondays & Stat Holidays • 250-924-8696
- wildpoppybistro.ca
- About Wild Poppy
- Wild Poppy Menus
- Facebook • Instagram
- info@wildpoppybistro.ca
- Sign up for Wild Poppy’s Email Newsletter at wildpoppybistro.ca & receive a treat on your birthday!
Testimonial: “We had Madeline’s cousin visiting from Halifax for a couple weeks. When we toured them up to Chemainus/Ladysmith all eight of us (one celiac) enjoyed a delicious meal at Wild Poppy. We had to have take out as the restaurant was full. Wonderful to see.”
“After every bite, Sophie said, “Yum! Best eggs I’ve ever had.”
As co-owners of the Old Town (Wheat) Bakery at 510 1st Avenue in Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, Kate Cram and husband Geoff could easily be considered local celebrities! As an ‘Associate with the Culinary Institute of America‘ who also undertook to certify as a Red Seal Baker in Canada, Kate is truly baker’s baker!
Two children later, Kate and Geoff’s young sons began to experience persistent health issues that had them resorting to a gluten-free diet in search of relief. The improvement was nothing short of remarkable and a heads up to Kate that gluten may be taking a toll on her own health. The couple found themselves at a professional and personal cross roads with Kate contemplating the end of a career she loved, and their children unable to set foot within the family business.
That’s how Wild Poppy Bakery and Bistro was born!
Thursday, March 19th at 6pm. 735 Yates Street – tucked inside St. Andrew’s Square Building – across from Cineplex Odeon.
RSVP to ellen@theceliacscene.com
DOSA – a cooked flat thin layered rice batter, somewhat similar to a crepe.
PARAGON – a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.
• dosaparagon.ca • Facebook • Instagram • Contact • 778.440.2206
• Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 11-8:30 • Fri-Sat 11-9 • Sun11-8 • Closed Mondays.
• About Dosa Paragon
• Dosa Paragon Menu
• Order Online
• Take Out Menu
• Skip the Dishes
Thursday Special – Vegetable Biriyani
- A bold and flavorful Indian rice dish with bell peppers, peas, carrots and potatoes in a spiced rice dish made with turmeric, garam masala and other warm spices.
Friday-Saturday-Sunday Special – Chicken Biriyani
- a delicious savory rice dish that is loaded with spicy marinated chicken, caramelized onions, and flavorful saffron rice.
About South Indian Cuisine
- DOSA – a crispy savoury rice crepe cooked flat thin layered, made from fermented rice and lentil batter, then filled.
- UTHAPPAM – thick pancake made from rice and lentil batter, with different toppings.
- PAPADUM – a thin crisp disk shaped lentil wafers, made from seasoned black gram flour, either fried or grilled with dry heat.
- VADA – a savoury fried snack from India. It is made from lentils.
- IDLY – a savoury, steamed rice cake very popular in Southern India and Sri Lanka , from Indian subcontinent. IDLY are made by Steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. Learn more about this super food here.
- SAMBAR – lentils and Vegetables cooked with tamarind and blend of spices.
- INDIAN PICKLE- known as Achar, made from a variety of vegetables & fruits, preserved in brine, vinegar, edible oils and a blend of various Indian spices.
- Click here to view the complete menu.
Victoria Buzz Review by Brishti Basu 1
- On July 8th, Prashant “Bob” Unnikrishnan and his wife Lathika quietly opened the doors to Dosa Paragon, a south Indian restaurant that is one of its kind in Victoria, and perhaps all of Vancouver Island. Unlike other East Indian eateries in town, this restaurant specializes in cuisine local to the south Indian state of Kerala and everything on the menu is made from scratch by the husband-and-wife duo. Bob, who has lived in Victoria for the past 6 years, brings his dishes straight from India after having worked in major cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Before opening Dosa Paragon, he worked as a chef at several restaurants around town including Irish Times Pub, John’s Place, and Varsha Indian Kitchen.
- Some of their highlights include the Masala Dosa (a rice crepe stuffed with spiced potato), their Onion and Cilantro Uthappam (a savoury pancake topped with onion and cilantro), and for meat eaters, an aromatic and flavourful Chicken Biryani (a spiced rice and chicken dish). Of course, no Indian meal is complete without a drink to go with it.
- Those who prefer a cooler beverage may choose the thick, sweet concoction that is their mango smoothie. For those partial to hot drinks, the restaurant offers an authentic ‘masala chai’ or tea flavoured with a mix of spices and herbs.
- While Bob and his wife have done practically nothing to advertise their new restaurant, the small eatery always has a steady stream of customers to keep them busy – a testament to the nearly addictive flavours and aromas emanating from Dosa Paragon. They have been so busy, in fact, that the owners have had to extend their business hours up to 9 p.m. to keep up with the demand.
- “That’s our motivation,” said Bob when asked about how customers have been responding to his restaurant. “We just want to maintain that momentum as our main goal is customer satisfaction.”
