Celiac friendly pizza is now (or soon will be) available nation-wide. And it is delicious – even my non celiac wife enthusiastically  agrees with that statement. There are ten specialty pizza’s available, a choice of two sizes, and even a “build your own pizza” option. Garlic Jim’s also features gluten free chicken wings and three different gluten free salads.

 These gluten free options became available in the Portland, Oregon, area on May 27. I wish I could tell you when you will be able to enjoy this luxury. The answer seems to depend on how quickly they can implement this concept in all their outlets and how much profit they make. So contact them and encourage them. (Click here to send them an e-mail  or click here for information about locations.) Please do this even if you don’t care for pizza! Every celiac benefits every time a national organization recognizes our needs.

 Of course, the issue of cross contamination rears its ugly head here. This notice appears in very small print at the bottom of their gluten free menu: “This product is not intended for consumption by individuals suffering from wheat allergies as the presence of wheat flour and other products in this location may lead to cross contamination…”  Unfortunately, we don’t know if that statement was put there by a conscientious dietician or by a zealous lawyer.

 I know that I did not react in any way, and my strong hunch is that consuming half of very large even-slightly- gluten-toxic pizza would have wiped me out for several days.  I also know that I visited two Garlic Jim’s pizzerias. Conditions in the first one were such that I considered cross-contamination almost inevitable and left without making a purchase. The second place made me feel totally different, and I can hardly wait to go back and enjoy more of their pizza. Under no circumstances would I order a pizza delivery by telephone from a place I had not visited.

Disclaimer: This gluten free website could not exist without revenue from advertising. In most cases, the ads are placed by a computer that is not sophisticated enough to differentiate. for example, between “gluten free pizza” and pizza. Therefore, celiacs must read every word carefully and defensively, just as they do every day.  I apologize for this; this site should be totally safe But that is not possible at this time. I have the power to remove inappropriate ads, but only after they have been posted and after I become aware of their existence. Please e-mail me at gfceliac@gmail.com if you see any ads that do not belong on this site. Since articles involving pizza and soy sauce attract “unsafe ads”, I am placing this disclaimer on any page that mentions either topic.

Published 06/02/07