Domino's "Gluten-Free" Pizza

Careful before you get too excited, as the article and Domino's state, they do <u>not</u> recommend the pizza for Celiac patients, but they say it should be okay for those with milder forms of gluten-sensitivity.  To me, it looks like they are just covering their butts because they cannot guarantee against cross-contamination by the 18 year-old high school senior who is making your pizza.  Nonetheless, always great to see more and more mainstream awareness and options out there!  Also, Domino's pizza is obviously not the healthiest thing out there, but a pizza every once and a while is a nice treat.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57429388-10391704/dominos-new-gluten-free-pizza-crust-not-recommended-for-people-with-celiac-disease/

Wellence

Just had a family member send me this link http://www.dow.com/dowwolff/en/pdf/Wellence_Gluten_Free.pdf

Wellence is apparently an ingredient they are marketing to make GF baked goods taste more like non-GF baked foods (put that pliability or "bounce" back into GF foods).  It is made by a subsidiary of Dow Chemical which makes me a little wary...


On further reading, I found this:  "Wellence 47129 parent materials are water-soluble polymers derived from cellulose, the most abundant polymer in nature.  Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose, sodium salt products are manufactured from highly purified cellulose which is further modified to obtain the desired properties.  The wood pulp used by the parent material of Wellence 47129 plants in Europe and North America is a high purity, specialty cellulose designed for chemical processes."


I read further and found that carboxymethylcellulose is also used in wallpaper paste?!  It may be very safe, but I will want to do more research myself and hear from others about Wellence as more information becomes available.  Granted, plain cellulose is the carbohydrate backbone of the cell walls of most plants (about as organic as it gets), but once you mix it in the lab with various reagents, could be safe or perhaps not...

K38 - Las Olas

Just ate at the newest installation of the K38 empire, Las Olas, at the Forum Shops at Landfall (in the out parcel).  The manager (I think his name was Teddie) told me they now have a new stand alone kitchen (for all their restaurants) that makes all the chips in a dedicated fryer and that they now are gluten-free (unlike in the past).  He also told me that for people like myself with severe food allergies (or auto-immune reactions in my case) that they can do all the prep at Las Olas in a separate clean part of the kitchen to address cross-contamination issues.  I was truly astounded by this manager's knowledge of gluten-containing sauces, items, etc. on menu!  There are many restaurants where we all can tell the staff is "winging it" and really barely understand the issue -- NOT the case here.

Red Robin

Not that healthy, but very tasty!  They have gluten free hamburger buns now and also a dedicated gluten-free fryer for their french fries.  The manager there and his staff were surprisingly knowledgeable about gluten and the service was great.

Epic Food Co.!

First, hello to everyone!  I am a local physician who has Celiac and finally diagnosed myself 10 years ago, after years of wrong diagnoses.  I understand Celiac and food allergies and sensitivities very well, along with common and not so common effects they can have on seemingly unrelated parts of the body.  I am here to help, if I can.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know about Epic Food Co. that just opened at the Forum Shops by Landfall (I have ZERO financial interest here by the way).  James Bain, former chef at Harvest Moon (old famous ILM food spot for those new to area), and his wife have opened this great new place.  He understands food allergies well and has lots of gluten-free items labeled on the menu (gluten-free pasta, wraps, sauces, etc.).  Homemade food, many organic options, etc.  It is nice "grab and go" food (healthy fast food - if that isn't an oxymoron?).  Plus, James is a great guy!  They have a Facebook page with lots of pics and descriptions of food.

Wilmington, NC Bloggers Needed

Live in Wilmington, NC?

Live the Gluten Free Lifestyle?

Interested in helping others in your city?

If you have any questions or interest writing about Wilmington please email me.

Mellow Mushroom

Gluten free pizza is now at Mellow Mushroom in Wilmington!

We haven’t been to MM since my son stopped eating gluten and dairy, and we have missed it. We missed it so much that I neglected to take photos during all the excitement of returning to our family’s favorite spot. I would take photos of leftovers, but there are none.

Here’s the skinny:

You can get a medium gluten free pizza for $10.50 plus a dollar or so per topping. The menu lists gluten free toppings, and they even have soy cheese. Hallelujah!

I thought the pizza was great and more importantly, my son loved it. I look forward to picking up a pizza to go before birthday parties where pizza is standard fare.

Thank you MM, and we’ll keep on ‘shroomin.