Gluten-Free Events on Vancouver Island

Dine-In & To-Go Service @ 900 Degrees Wood-Fired Pizza

Dec 28 @ 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm

‘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!

Categories: Gluten-Free Events Tags: 900 degrees delivery gluten free pick-up pizza restaurant take-out victoria

May

8

Sun

Art of Slow Food @ Sidney Farmer's Market

Tickets

May 8 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Farmers’ Markets: Dates & appearances may change. Confirm on Gluten-Free Events Page.

2nd Wednesdays – Oak Bay Night Market July, August & September
Saturdays – Duncan’s Farmer’s Market
Saturdays – Moss Street Market
Saturdays – Gabriola Market
Sundays – Sidney Market

NEW! Art of Slow Food 100% Gluten-Free Cafe & Bakery opens on Fisgard!
TUESDAY – SUNDAY 10am – 5pm

To order in advance of market days – questions, custom orders or dietary information. contact Kaitlin via Contact form • thebaker@theartofslowfood.com • 902.476.7732

The Art of Slow Food meets dietary limitations or preferences of all kinds – gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan & sugar-free – food that isn’t complicated or unpronounceable.

Where to Find Art of Slow! Retailers, Coffee Shops, Farmer’s Markets & More!

• Contact form • thebaker@theartofslowfood.com • 902.476.7732
• theartofslowfood.com • Facebook • Instagram
• View The Art of Slow Food Photo Gallery

You asked for it! The Art of Slow Food is now selling their raw, sourdough pizza dough. Each dough ball makes a 14″-16″ sized pizza. Find them in the refrigerator or freezers sections of carrying retailers and markets.

About the Dough

Made with spring water, psyllium husk, ground flax, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, natural levain (wild yeast) and sea salt
Good for 21 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer
Remove dough from fridge and let it reach room temperature
Dough will be workable, easy to roll but a bit more sensitive to tearing than gluten dough
Roll out with a dusting of gluten-free flour or between two pieces of parchment paper
Crust can be par-baked for 3-5 minutes at 450˚F or for 7-10 minutes all dressed, until cheese browns
Par-baked crusts can be frozen until needed.

About the Sourdough

This is extra-special gluten free bread: fresh baked, rustic, soft, chewy and easily digestible sourdough! Using natural wild levain and a base of psyllium husk, flax and water, the dough is fermented for 12-18 hours to allow phytic acid breakdown and real flavor development. The bread is then baked on a stone to create rustic loaves with appealing crust.

The Art of Slow Food does not use common gluten-free ingredients such as xanthan gum, agar agar, potato starch, rice flour or other high-starch ingredients. The bread is made with only 7 simple, organic ingredients, in order of predominance: Spring water, psyllium husk, ground flax, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, natural levain (wild yeast) and sea salt.

As a result of slow fermentation, the carbohydrates and starches in the bread are broken down, creating a light, soft digestible bread. The psyllium husk and ground flax act as a digestive aid and provide a soft, chewy texture without gluten or added starches.

Sourdough selection includes Toasted Sesame, Plain, Kalamata Olive, Rosemary Poppyseed and on occasion, Cranberry Walnut!

About the Ferments

Their sauerkraut is made the traditional way – fermented for a minimum of 3 weeks in traditional German crocks and never pasteurized. Enjoy a number of varieties that are versatile and go well with any meal – sandwiches, salads, stir fries, soups, eggs or sausages. Sauerkraut is a highly probiotic food, and is best used to accompany meals to aid in digestion.

Sauerkraut selection includes Dilly Kraut, Cortido Kraut and Chimichurri Kraut.

About the Baker / Fermentor / Creator

Kaitlin is a whole foods chef and baker and has been fermenting for 7 years. She works exclusively with artisan-style traditional foods, using local and organic ingredients to create simple, accessible nourishment. She strives to teach sustainability and self-sufficiency through the art of slow food. Kaitlin has extensive experience working with dietary restrictions and nutritional deficiencies and will work with any specifications by request.

Kaitlin Chamberlin

Workshops

Learn the ancient tradition of preserving foods and maximizing nutrition with simple tools and local foods. Bring your own jar and take home a ferment. Learn more here.