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!
From the last Thursday in November until the first Sunday in January, Ladysmith BC, is lit up like a Christmas tree! Thursday, November 28th is the big debut! First Avenue will be closed to traffic after 3:00 pm. Learn more about the Light Up!
Starting at 4pm, Wild Poppy will be featuring a Traditional (gluten-free) Turkey Dinner in addition to their regular menu ($16.50.) First come, first served! Plenty of warm drinks and yummy treats! Dinner service ends when the fireworks begin!
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!
Join Pepper’s Foods for Caroling in the Village – Sunday, December 1st from 5 to 7pm. Celebrate the start of holiday season with your favourite holiday treats, prizes and the annual Pepper’s Turkey Draw! The Mount Douglas Secondary Jazz Bands & Choir will be there!
Take advantage of this week’s flyer while you are there!
A bustling market at 3829 Cadboro Bay Road, steps away from the University of Victoria and one of the largest playgrounds in Victoria, shop at Pepper’s Foods for a picnic, a barbecue or the gluten-free foods you need to sustain you week in and week out! A long-time supporter of the Canadian Celiac Association’s Annual Picnic, Pepper’s Foods is the very ‘heart’ of Cadboro Bay!
• Sale on Gluten-Free Items
• Weekly Specials
• Gluten-Free Product List
• Deliveries to Your Door
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• 10% Student discount EVERY day!
• 10% Senior’s discount Tuesdays and Wednesdays
What’s New at Pepper’s Foods!
“Any time a local vendor or distributor approaches us with a local product, we’re all ears and open to carrying their product.”
- Scott Zaichkowsky, Assistant Grocery Manager
Gyro Park & Beach at Cadboro Bay
The legendary home of the “Cadborosaurus” sea serpent, Cadboro Bay is a partially protected bay with the kind of long, sandy beaches that make for sublime summer swimming, strolling and boating. The park has a replica of the Cadborosaurus creature, said to be a relative of the Loch Ness Monster. Caddy, as it is known, usually allows itself to be seen once or twice a year. Cadboro Bay’s beaches are well-equipped for family outings with picnic facilities, public washrooms and a children’s playground. Pack a snack from Pepper’s and enjoy!
Click for more information
2nd annual Lovers Lane Market at The Langford Station
Sunday, February 11th 10:00am – 4:00pm
720 Station Ave
A unique shopping experience filled with handmade arts and crafts, perfect for Valentine’s Day. Shop for unique gifts, participate in DIY activities and craft goodie making. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind craft market, it’s the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day with your loved one or family. Learn more …
Order ahead to assure your purchase!
• bglutenfreevictoria.square.site
• Instagram via DM
• bglutenfreevictoria@gmail.com
• 250-208-3646
Enjoy a selection of baguettes, bars , biscuits, bread, buns, cinnamon buns, coffee cakes, cookies, croissants, filled pastries, loaves (banana bread & orange cranberry,) muffins, pies & sourdough! Best of all! MINI DONUTS!
B-glutenfreevictoria appears throughout greater Victoria, including Goldstream Market, Moss Street Market, Esquimalt Farmers Markets, Westcoast Outdoor Markets, Metchosin Farmers Market and seasonal events!
About Tanja!
Listen to Tanja on ‘A Canadian Celiac Podcast!’
Tanja Blondin, Owner / Operator of B-glutenfreevictoria, has been baking for as long as she can remember. Her German heritage continues to inform the food that she creates.
With hospitality in her DNA, Tanja has done it all from baking to catering, always with the best in presentation.
When her daughter was born, Tanja started a cake business that allowed her to work from home. The business was so successful that it grew into a full catering and pastry shop in Ontario. From there, she went on to manage restaurants, including the Starbucks that she transferred to in Sidney, to be closer to family.
Seeking a change from the coffee business, Tanja assumed a position in the bakery department of Sidney Thrifty Foods. It was around this time that she began experiencing health problems that lead her, and her daughter, to be diagnosed with celiac disease. Her employer tried to accommodate her condition with a move to the cake decorating department, but the proximity to airborne gluten flour was too much for her. Tanja had to resign, but that does not mean she stopped baking. Their loss was our gain!
What to do with decades of experience baking European pastries? Tanja reimagined them using gluten-free, organic ingredients, freshly milled at the dedicated gluten-free Millstone Farm Organics in North Saanich:
- almond flour • baking powder • brown rice flour • buckwheat flour • chia • buckwheat flour • eggs (fresh!) • flax seeds • millet flour • potato starch • psyllium husk • oats (pure) • quinoa • sorghum flour • sliced almonds • tapioca starch • teff flour • xanthan gum • white rice flour
Tanja adapted her favourite recipes to gluten free in her dedicated kitchen, and set up a booth on Sunday’s Mary Winspear Centre to test the market. The response has been so positive that she has gone on to create a ‘B-glutenfreevictoria Food Trailer’ – a first for Vancouver Island and beyond!
View the possibilities and order online through bglutenfreevictoria.square.site, or stop by her trailer during her busy market schedule this summer.
