The Sensitive Baker in Los Angeles has long been one of my favorite dedicated gluten-free bakeries. While living in L.A., I would frequently make the trek down to Culver City (L.A. suburb) to get hamburger buns for a BBQ and their crusty baguettes for sandwiches. I’ve even had them put together a birthday cake or two for my kids.
Just this week, I discovered that they were supplying the gluten-free pizza crusts to Pitfire Pizza. Pitfire is a place I never would have dreamed of going to as I’ve never been a fan of going to a pizza place and just ordering a salad. While there are numerous other pizza places in L.A. that offer gluten-free pizza (Garlic Jim’s, Pizza Fusion, ZPizza, just to name a few), it’s nice to see a local place that has had so much positive press jump into the frey.
I’m anxious to try the gluten-free Pitfire Pizza and see if they can take a great gluten-free crust and keep it gluten-free without compromising it by careless kitchen practices that seem to ruin so many other restaurants attempts at a gluten-free menu. I’m wondering how they will keep the crust segregated in the oven, how they will handle the use of utensils when putting toppings on the gluten-free crusts, and how they will go about training their staff. These are just a few of the questions I’ll have, but there are many other concerns that I hope they consider. A gluten-free menu is a great business opportunity for a restaurant, but it’s something that must be done correctly, or it is a pointless exercise. It is the responsibility of the restaurant to offer a truly gluten-free menu, but is of course even more the responsibility of the customer to ask questions (as many as it takes) to be sure they are getting the safest meal possible.
I wish Pitfire Pizza the best of luck and I will definitely be paying them a visit very soon. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an awesome gluten-free experience. One great addition to their menu would be a sampling of gluten-free beers and ciders.
