Pizza Today - June 2021 - 10

CONVERSATION

LINDSEY YEAKLE
Lindsey Yeakle is the Gluten-Free Food Service
(GFFS) Program Manager, Food Safety, for
the nonprofit Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).
Yeakle has a culinary history working at 4-star
and 4-diamond rated restaurants. A celiac disease
diagnosis encouraged her to attend culinary school
at Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of
Culinary Arts. In June 2016, Yeakle decided to use
her background and education to help the glutenfree community by working with GIG.

Why is it vital for pizzerias that choose
to offer a gluten-free menu to get it
right?
If a pizzeria is making the claim it's
offering gluten-free pizza, the glutenfree community is trusting that the
pizzeria is doing things properly since
there is the risk of making people quite
sick if it is not. It is important to think
of everything involved to mitigate that
risk. For example, while traditional pizzas
naturally contain gluten, think of other
items in the menu that do as well, such as
breadsticks and breaded wings. If you're
not properly following procedures to keep
the gluten-free items safe from such
offerings, then you run the risk of cross
contact. Cross contact can be as small as a
crumb, as small as a particle of flour from
the gluten-containing items. It's just a
minuscule amount that can be a problem
for someone who has Celiac disease or a
gluten intolerance. That one particle could
be what makes a person very sick.
What are the most common mistakes
restaurants make preparing gluten-free
foods?
One of the most common mistakes
restaurants make in preparing gluten-free
foods is forgetting about what is involved
in safely providing that food to their
guests, what has to be done safely in the

preparation of it to avoid cross contact.
Things to keep in mind are that pasta must
be cooked in a separate pot of clean water.
Pizza crust can't sit on the same surface
that a regular, traditional pizza crust sat
on because it can get contamination from
the gluten on that crust. It's the process of
actually preparing gluten-free items where
the mistakes are often happening.
What are some best practices in
preparing gluten-free items?
It is important to have a designated
space where gluten-free foods are being
prepared so you can make sure things
are separate and safe as well as clean
and sanitized. Gluten-free pizza crust
should be put in a foil tin or some other
container that is designated gluten-free.
A foil tin is optimum because it can be
disposed of and a new one can be used
each time, protecting the bottom of the
pizza where it's being baked from cross
contact. Other best practices include
changing gloves between pizzas and
making sure toppings are not taken from
the same containers where the traditional
pizza toppings are stored. Gluten-free
toppings need to be stored separately in
a separate area. Another way to ensure
your pizzeria is safe and trusted by glutenfree consumers is by becoming validated
by an organization like our Gluten-Free

Food Service (GFFS). We're able to
guide people quickly and easily through
the best way to deal with gluten-free
items in pizzerias. Gluten-free customers
feel safest when they know a facility is
validated, whether it's done with us or
another organization.
What are some of the most popular
gluten-free items to introduce into a
menu?
A gluten-free dessert is a great thing
to offer. It benefits the gluten-free
community because it's an item that's
hard to find when they go out to eat.
And when you do find it, it's hard to turn
it down because it is so rare. It benefits
the pizzeria because there is the ability to
add an upcharge to drinks, appetizers and
desserts. So, if you can come up with a
gluten-free dessert, you can upcharge on
gluten-free plus the upcharge on desserts.
This great combination benefits both the
gluten-free guest as well as the pizzeria.
I always suggest coming up with at least
one gluten-free dessert beyond a bowl
of vanilla ice cream, which doesn't feel
special. A great idea can be as simple as
a gluten-free brownie. That's something
that's easy to do and not always available
at restaurants. If a pizzeria really wants
to do something fun, I suggest creating
dessert pizzas that are gluten-free.

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