Domino's to Offer Gluten Free Pizza (Celiacs Let Out Collective Groan)

Great news for Kim Kardashian (but not for anyone with actual Celiac).

Domino's is now offering a gluten-free pizza crust.
Click here for the Domino's GF crust FAQ (Caution - this pizza is not for people with Celiac Disease).

Press release below...welcome to the fad part of the GF diet Domino's.  You are not the first and won't be the last.  FYI, I'll still be a Celiac who needs a real (ingredients and cross contact) GF diet when you are gone.  On a side note, I'm disappointed in the NFCA.  Gluten Free should be really Gluten Free - it's confusing enough already.  This is a joke.

Perhaps the single biggest if not most frustrating void for folks stuck on gluten-free diets is about to be finally filled: home-delivered pizza. Monday, Domino's, the world's largest delivery pizza chain, will announce plans to sell a pizza made with a gluten-free crust. It comes as some of the biggest foodmakers and food sellers — including Frito-Lay, Subway, Anheuser-Busch and P.F. Chang's — are jumping into the $6.2 billion market for people unable to consume products made with wheat, barley and rye.

"We are the first national pizza delivery chain to offer this," boasts Domino's CMO Russell Weiner, who notes that while the crust is certified gluten-free, the pizza is still prepared in ovens with pizzas that aren't gluten-free, so folks who are extra-sensitive need to be aware. The gluten-free pizza costs about $3 more. Most gluten-free products typically do cost more to make.

Until recently, gluten-free was mostly listed on the back of the package, but now, with 6% to 8% of the U.S. population on some some kind of gluten-free diet, it's increasingly listed on the front, and even called out in bold type. "It's become a selling point," says Alice Bast, president at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, a group that raises awareness of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Bast says, "The number one request we get from the gluten-free consumer is for gluten-free pizza — and beer."

Article from USAToday.

March is Gluten Free Pizza Month at ZPizza

I just received the following email from the owners of the Triangle zpizzas.

March is gluten-free month at zpizza. To celebrate, come in all month long and enjoy a delicious small gluten-free pizza for half off when you purchase a small pizza at regular price (of equal or greater value). Come in to any of our 3 locations (421 Fayetteville St, Downtown Raleigh. 96 Cornerstone Dr in Cary, or 9630 Falls of the Neuse Rd, North Raleigh).

Thanks for your positive feedback on our food, and to those of you that travel great distances to dine with us. Join us on Facebook and let us know where you are coming from. Someone will win free pizza!  Thanks, Steve and Dan, zpizza.

 www.zpizzatriangle.com

Quick Update From Happy Tummy Baking Company

Happy Tummy Baking Company is now available at the new North Raleigh Whole Foods. Happy Tummy's crusts, in addition to being gluten-free, do not contain yeast or any of the 8 major allergens.

The product is 12" round and can also be found in the freezer section at the Raleigh Wade Ave, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill Whole Foods.

Maria Hopper
Happy Tummy Baking Company

Quick Update From Happy Tummy Baking Company

Happy Tummy Baking Company is offering a 10% discount on all pizza crusts sold at Whole Foods now through April 12th. The discounted price is $6.29/ crust. Happy Tummy's crusts, in addition to being gluten-free, do not contain yeast or any of the 8 major allergens.

The product is 12" round and can be found in the freezer at the Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill Whole Foods. It is available by request (temporarily not on display in the freezer but they have a supply in the back) at the Wade Ave. Raleigh Whole Foods. Not available yet at the new North Raleigh store.

Try it while it's on sale for a quick, easy meal and satisfy your pizza cravings!

Maria Hopper
Happy Tummy Baking Company

Happy Tummy Baking Company Expansion

Just wanted to post a quick update about Raleigh based Happy Tummy Baking Company. I was recently informed by owner Maria Hopper that the company's Gluten Free, allergen free frozen pizza crusts are now available at the Brier Creek Earth Fare in Raleigh.

Reminder - Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group Meeting

Just a friendly reminder about this month's Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group meeting. The meeting is Thursday, October 21st at 7pm at Rex Hospital (Private Dining Room in rear of Cafeteria). As always, the focus of our meeting will be information and discussion related to the newly diagnosed, which includes those "not so newly diagnosed" who are still struggling with the g-f diet.

This month's meeting will also feature a

Mellow Mushroom's Gluten Free Pizza

As I wrote about late last week, Mellow Mushroom has finally rolled out their new Gluten Free pizzas.  I had the opportunity today to meet the folks behind the pizza, see how it is prepared and cooked and most importantly taste the new pie.  I'd like to start off with a big thanks to Triangle Mellow Mushroom owner Casey (Raleigh, Durham and Wake Forest locations) for inviting me in to see the process and taste the product.  Also, thanks to the two members of MM corporate (John and Eric) for providing all the pertinent information so that I could properly share this exciting news with you.  And to Fred Lybrand of Juno Nutrition for again having great connections.

There have been rumors about this day for many months and I'm happy to report that it is finally here.  I'm also happy to share that MM has really thought this through and have a huge desire to get this right for Celiacs or those who are Gluten Intolerant (or as the typo in the menu says "Celiac Intolerant" - I wish I actually was Celiac Intolerant but I digress).  They have really done their homework on the right way to roll out GF pizza.  You can enjoy these new GF pizzas right now at the 3 Triangle area locations during this test market launch.  Let's do our part to make sure this test is successful.

Here are the important points to remember...

1. Mellow Mushroom is using a frozen pizza crust product from Still Riding Pizza.  The crusts are made in a dedicated GF facility and shipped to each MM location frozen.
2. MM is bringing in nearly 50 GFCO certified Gluten Free toppings/ingredients for it's GF pizza.  All these ingredients are kept in a separate preparation area away from the main prep line for wheat pizzas.
3. MM has developed an extensive preparation procedure that will be used by "certified Gluten Free pizza makers" to deliver safe pizzas to those who cannot tolerate Gluten.  I saw this procedure in writing and will try to get a copy to share with you.
4. MM only uses corn meal in their restaurants when preparing wheat pizza, thus no atmospheric gluten.
5. MM keeps all GF toppings, supplies and crusts in a dedicated area.  All GF pizzas will be prepared in this dedicated location.  They use separate utensils as well.
6. MM will be using dedicated GF screens to cook the GF pizzas in a shared oven (wheat pizzas are placed directly on the oven stone itself) to avoid cross-contamination while baking.

Now onto the pizza.  I sampled a pepperoni and mushroom pizza while Fred tried a Hawaiian.  Both were excellent in taste and mouth feel.  The pizzas were the closest to wheat pizza that I've seen to date in the fact that the crust was not either cracker-like or crumbly.  A very NY-style thin crust pizza you could take and fold over to eat - yum!  The pizza is a 12" pizza and comes in larger than any of its competitors offering a full 8 slices.  MM also does not charge an extra fee for the GF crusts, they are the same price as their normal medium pizza.  With nearly 50 toppings to choose from, you can create basically any pizza you like and have it taste pretty darn close to the wheat version you might be used to from MM.

Product Testing Policy
As per the Gluten Free Raleigh "Paul Seelig" Product Testing Policy, I did perform an EZ-Gluten test on a sample of my pepperoni/mushroom pizza.  See the pictures for more information but I'm happy to report that the result was negative (actual test strip on the far left).

Mellow Mushroom is looking for your feedback on their new Gluten Free Pizzas and preparation/cooking procedure.  Please visit their Contact Us Web site to let them know your thoughts and be sure to give this new Gluten Free Pizza option a try.

Mellow Mushroom Gluten Free Pizza Update

I wrote back in December about Mellow Mushroom getting new Gluten Free Pizza in a singular test market - Raleigh.  There has been some back and forth and some delays but it appears that they are now officially ready to go.  See this article over at Celiac.com about the release on April 5th.  I was also emailed by a member of Mellow Mushroom's Marketing Team named Jason Kemp.  According to the article and email I received, the crusts are made at at 100% dedicated GF facility by a company called Still Riding Pizza.  Good news for those of you in the following cities that will also be part of the test launch; Albany, GA, Conyers ,GA, Peachtree City, GA, Statesboro, GA, Delray Beach, FL, Chattanooga, TN, Burlington, NC and Durham, NC.

I can confirm that the GF pizzas are indeed coming to Raleigh.  I am currently scheduled to have a taste test of the new GF pizza at the Raleigh location on Monday - I'll be sure to post my full review at that time.

Looks like their bar menu also has RedBridge listed...

Stay tuned for more and no this is NOT an April Fool's joke.

Uno Chicago Grill Closes Raleigh Location

I've written before on this blog about Uno Chicago Grill and their extensive Gluten Free menu which included Gluten Free pizzas and much more.  In a blow to the Raleigh Gluten Free pizza market, Uno has closed their only Raleigh location @ Brier Creek.

The nearest Uno is located in Richmond, VA - so if you're really in the mood you'll have a 2 hour drive to suffer through.

Hopefully we will hear something very soon from Mellow Mushroom!

ZPizza Gluten Free Pizza Update

If you have not had the chance to try ZPizza's Gluten Free pizza (debuted about a year ago), then you are missing out. If you didn't try it because it was not Dairy Free or Soy Free, now is your chance to dig in. I received word from the franchisee of the Raleigh and Cary stores recently letting me know about the change in the GF crust. Very commonly, Gluten Free patrons are also Dairy Free and/or Soy Free. Celiacs often have multiple issues including lactose intolerance due to intestinal damage. The new GF, DF and SF crust is now available in both stores. The crust is also Cholesterol free and comes in at around 250 calories (of course that doesn't include your toppings). Top off your pizza with a Redbridge - now being served at both locations as well.

Crust Ingredients: Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Water, Potato Flour, Potato Flakes, Olive Oil, Sugar, Yeast, Salt, Seasonings.

I've included a picture of the crust's packaging to the left.

I was also told that both ZPizza locations combined are selling on average 100 GF crusts per week. That's a huge number of pizzas. The GF crusts themselves (only available in size small 10") are $10.25 each without toppings. Sell 100 of those bad boys per week for the entire year and that's $53,300 without toppings. Lots of dough (pun intended).

Regardless, looks like ZPizza is very dedicated to GF consumers and we thank you for that. For more information on ZPizza including my original review, click here.

Mellow Mushroom: New Gluten Free Pizza!

I've been away for awhile with a needed Christmas vacation and moving but will return soon... in the meantime, to give you something to wet your appetite, I'd thought I'd share some exciting breaking news.

Mellow Mushroom will soon be debuting it's brand new Gluten Free Pizza at one select location... can you guess which one? That's right, right here in good old Raleigh, NC. Out of over 100 locations (10 in NC), we are extremely lucky to get the first bite. The new pizza should be available sometime in January. I'm busy working on getting all the details and will share more soon.

Any Mellow Mushroom fans out there? One of my personal favorites before going GF. This adds to the already large amount of choices for GF Pizza here in Raleigh (ZPizza, Uno, Lilly's, Bella Monica, Rosie's Plate... just to name a few).

Stay tuned...

Reminder: Pizza Tasting Tonight

Quick reminder of the Gluten Free/Allergen-Free/Corn Free pizza tasting tonight!

Click here for more details and to RSVP.

Allergy Free Pizza Tasting - August 27th

I have been in contact with Raleigh resident and entrepreneur Maria Hopper over the last few months about a project she has been working on - totally allergen-free pizza crusts! You may remember my post back in June on this topic where Maria was seeking input on the product idea.

Maria got back in touch with me a few weeks ago and mentioned she has further developed the product and is ready for some feedback. She stated that she heard common complaints that Gluten Free crusts often contain other common allergens which makes them difficult to eat for GF folks and/or Celiacs. Things like yeast, lactose, corn or soy.

Maria has been on the hunt for a great crust that would be Gluten Free, Yeast Free, Corn Free and Top 8 Allergen Free (milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish, soy & wheat). Theoretically, a worry free crust for everyone to enjoy, and now she's ready for your feedback.

Wanna Try It?
If you are interested in a free tasting of this new allergen-free pizza crust, please contact Maria Hopper via email. The tasting will be held on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the Stonebridge neighborhood clubhouse located in North Raleigh. Maria will have fully prepared pizzas for your tasting enjoyment but her eventual end product will most likely be crusts that you bake and top yourself. After tasting your pizza, please take a few minutes to fill out a short evaluation of the crusts. Maria will use this information to further fine tune her product. This is a win-win situation for both Maria and Gluten Free consumers. How often do you get the chance to shape the products under development before they are released? This should prevent you from saying "I wish it was like this or that" or "Why didn't they ask my input before they made this".
See below for full details.

When: 8/27/09 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Where: Stonebridge neighborhood clubhouse
405 Emerywood Drive
Raleigh, NC
Directions: Take Creedmoor Road north to Baileywick Road. Right on Baileywick. Left of Chander Drive (note the Shannon Woods subdivision sign). Right on Emerywood Drive. The clubhouse is located on the right at 405 Emerywood Drive (just after house number 409). Or click here for a map to find your own way.
Cost: Free
RSVP: Maria Hopper via email

Let's try to get as many people as possible over to this tasting and show a local resident our support as she develops an awesome product that can be enjoyed by everyone!

Bella Monica Flatbread Update

Check out this extremely in depth review of Bella Monica Flatbread Company Gluten Free Pizzas done recently over at FreezerBurns. Greg, a.k.a. "The Frozen Food Master" spends his time blogging/reviewing about all kinds of frozen foods. He lives in the Raleigh area and this blog is pretty awesome. In this episode, he calls in some reinforcements, his neighbor Ann who has Celiac Disease.

Check it out here.

There are also some other GF frozen food reviews here.

Have a GF frozen food you want reviewed by Freezer Burns? Contact Greg here.

Zpizza Coupon

I've written in the past about ZPizza and their awesome Gluten Free pizzas. If you have not tried them or are a big fan of them then you'll be interested in getting a $5 coupon, no? ZPizza has 2 Triangle locations, 1 in Raleigh and another in Cary.

Check out this link to join ZTribe. You'll get a $5 off coupon and special offers exclusive to members, news and more!

ENJOY!

Rosie's Plate Pizza Party Today

Stop by Rosie's Plate in Downtown Raleigh today (7/17) for a pizza party!

The event runs from 5pm - 7pm and will feature free pizza tastings and a great discount if you buy a pizza to take home!

Check out my previous review of Rosie's Plate pizza here.

ENJOY!

Allergen Free Pizza Crusts?

I know all of you are interested in Gluten Free pizza... fortunately for us, we've got some great options in the Raleigh area (Bella Monica, Z Pizza & Uno Chicago Grill just to name a few). While having a GF crust choice is a great thing over what we had a few years ago, I often get asked if the GF crusts I write about are free of other allergens like dairy or soy, etc...

I was contacted at the end of May by Raleigh resident Maria who expressed her interest in developing a completely allergen-free crust and a company to sell it. It would also be Gluten Free and yeast free as well. Eliminating the other major allergens would make pizza available for all folks out there with food issues. Maria is of course interested in feedback from consumers like the ones who read this blog, so she developed a little online survey.

Let's all help out Maria (and ourselves) by taking this short ten question survey and providing her with feedback about this potential product.

Survey

Restaurant Review: Gluten Free Pizza at UNO Chicago Grill

Well, it took me a little while to get there but finally I had some Gluten Free Pizza from Uno Chicago Grill last week. I have not been to an Uno previously and was a little surprised that it is actually a really nice sit-down family restaurant. I guess I just figured it was like any other pizza place.

Regardless, we got to our seats and noticed some Gluten Free items listed on the regular menu including RedBridge and three varieties of Gluten Free pizza. The regular menu noted they have an additional Gluten Free menu (ask your server) but the above choices were all I needed to see. We ordered one of each of the pizza choices; pepperoni, cheese & tomato and the new veggie.

After ordering, I asked to speak with the manager and then had the pleasure to speak with Charlie Wheeler. Charlie was excited to speak with a Gluten Free consumer and had lots to say about the new pizza. He recently did the roll out in the Charlotte Uno store and was then moved up to Raleigh. He indicated that they did a monthly Celiac Pizza Party Night at the Charlotte store and would love to organize something like this here in Raleigh. He also indicated the response at the Raleigh store has been very good so far and that he was always looking for feedback about the Gluten Free choices. Any interest in a monthly Pizza Party?

I think at this point I have tried pretty much every GF pizza out there... Uno's GF pizza stacks up pretty well. The crust is the thickest I've tried (other than Rosie's Plate thick crust). A non-cracker like crust is what reminds me the most of normal pizza. The taste was pretty good also, not overly buttery but also not really much taste at all - I guess the toppings, sauce and cheese does all the talking for this GF pie. I'd recommend you ask the server to cook your GF pizza for longer than what Uno recommends. Our cheese pizza seemed to be the most underdone which resulted in crumbly crust. The pepperoni was by far the best tasting and best cooked of the three. The cheese pizza tasted much better during warm-up leftover consumption the following day.

From my discussions with the manager, the pizza is actually shipped to each Uno in it's own pan. It is then unwrapped at the store in a dedicated section, topped with dedicated GF toppings and then placed back in the original packing material and placed in the freezer until ordered. Since it comes on it's own cooking pan, the risk for cross-contamination in the oven is lowered. After having this pizza twice, I have so far suffered no ill effects.

Bottom line - it was really great to walk into a restaurant, see Gluten Free on a normal menu and order pizza and beer with my family with relatively low worry level.

Uno Chicago Grill - Gluten Free Pizza Update

Here are a few exciting updates from Uno Chicago Grill which is already offering a great Gluten Free menu.

1) A brand new Gluten Free pizza has just been added to the GF menu at Uno's. They already were serving a Cheese pizza and a Pepperoni pizza but are now offering a Veggie pizza. Featuring peppers, onions and mushrooms as toppings, the new gluten-free veggie pizza will give those suffering from Celiac Disease or wheat intolerance or allergy yet another option to enjoy pizza at Uno. Frank W. Guidara, CEO of Uno Chicago Grill, said the company was encouraged to proceed with the launch after the gluten-free community responded so passionately to Uno's introduction of its cheese and pepperoni gluten-free pizzas earlier this year. Uno's gluten-free pizza crust is prepared in a dedicated gluten-free facility, whose products are certified by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, and is delivered to restaurants frozen in a sealed case which includes a baking pan, for immediate placement into freezers. Uno's gluten-free pizzas are thin crust and round, making the difference in shape from their oval flatbreads and deep-dish pizzas striking and unique to the eye.

2) Uno Chicago Grill will host a national Dough Rai$er fundraising event May 25 - May 31 to benefit the American Celiac Disease Alliance (ACDA) in support of National Celiac Awareness Month in May. Consumers interested in participating in the May Dough Rai$er can secure a voucher here, which they can then bring to their local Uno Chicago Grill location. 20% of sales generated from those who participate will support the ACDA cause.

Uno's has 1 Raleigh location at Brier Creek. Get out and try the new Veggie pizza while also raising funds for the ACDA.

Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group - May Meeting

The Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group has scheduled an upcoming meeting on Sunday May 31st. See below for the details.

Raleigh Cel-Kids Pizza Party on Sunday, May 31st at 1pm!
Enjoy gluten-free pizzas at Bella Monica restaurant in the Olde Raleigh Village Shopping Center (3121-103 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh). This is a fabulous opportunity for your family to sample tasty gluten-free pizza donated by Bella Monica.

We hope to see you there, as always, please let us know if you can make it! (More info or RSVP to raleigh.celkids@gmail.com). Also, we are helping Bella Monica by providing feedback on pizza crusts, different tastes, what types of GF products families want, etc. so we really want families to come to contribute.

A big thanks to Trevor and Bella Monica for their continued support of the Gluten Free community.