{"id":51917,"date":"2025-03-14T09:06:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T23:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/?p=51917"},"modified":"2025-03-17T12:19:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T02:19:38","slug":"appetiser-gluten-free-dining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/blog\/appetiser-gluten-free-dining\/","title":{"rendered":"Gluten free dining: 20 years on"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Gluten-free-dining-20-years-on\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Twenty-five years ago, gluten free dining was a minefield. People with gluten sensitivities not only lacked choices but often faced hostility. A quarter of a century later, gluten free is now a $700 million industry in Australia. Gluten free menus are no longer an afterthought or token offering; they are an integral part of the dining experience, reflecting changing consumer demands, increased awareness and a more inclusive approach to food service.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

For Penny Dellsberger, Health Advocacy Officer for Coeliac Australia<\/a> and a sufferer of coeliac disease, this change has been welcome. Even small amounts of gluten cause her severe and immediate health issues. \u201cBack in those days, there were no options, no thought given to cross-contamination and certainly no flavoursome meals,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI would go to restaurants and be given the same old sad salad or a steak.\u201d<\/p>\n

After much lobbying by groups like Coeliac Australia, along with the introduction of labeling laws, awareness around gluten-related issues increased, driving societal change. Industry veteran Ian Curley, now a hospitality consultant, remembers that time well. \u201cBack in the \u201890s, we used to complain about vegetarians,\u201d says Ian. \u201cBut the menu was not complete without meat-free dishes. We were losing customers and came to understand vegetarianism. When we became aware that gluten could be a serious health issue, we followed the same path. We grumbled, but we learned. We came to understand it was part of doing business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian is proud of the effort that chefs go to in order to ensure the integrity of gluten free products. \u201cThere is a lot of flour in kitchens and we go to extreme efforts to avoid cross-contamination to protect people who are coeliac,\u201d he explains. \u201cSome kitchens will have a dedicated deep fryer, for example, so they can fry gluten free schnitzels and fries.\u201d He stresses the importance of a gluten free prep space with separate tools and utensils, clear labeling, and strict cleaning and storage regimes. \u201cStaff training around allergies, all allergies, is a team effort,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Victorian restaurateur and former naturopath and nutritionist, Leah Gill, has bullet-proofed her Geelong steakhouse, Emerge, against gluten issues. She recently underwent an extensive transformation to make Emerge 100% gluten free. \u201cWe specialise in steak, seafood and fresh produce,\u201d says Leah. \u201cWe\u2019re not fine dining, but our offer is a lot more than a pub, and a lot of people don\u2019t realise we\u2019ve completely eliminated gluten from the menu because we have alternatives that taste so good with awesome texture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leah admits that the accreditation process with Coeliac Australia took many hours and incurred costs, but she says the benefits for her team have been worth it. \u201cFrom our sauces to our sticky date pudding, lasagna and beef Wellington, everything we serve is 100% gluten free,\u201d she says. \u201cThis means reading every label of every ingredient for the allergy matrix and ditching anything that says \u2018may contain gluten\u2019 because the risk to our customers is not worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Penny Dellsberger, she is grateful that chefs like Ian and Leah have gone to the effort to protect her and the other 35,000 people diagnosed with coeliac disease. \u201cWe can now sit down with choice and with menus that have specific options for us,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it\u2019s still important that we as consumers communicate our medical situation when we book or arrive at a venue,\u201d she adds. \u201cCommunication is essential.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

As seen in autumn 2025<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSee more<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gluten free dining has come a long way in 25 years, evolving from a minefield of limited, bland options to a $700 million industry in Australia. Chefs and restaurateurs like Ian Curley and Leah Gill have embraced the change, offering safe, delicious gluten free dishes and going to great lengths to prevent cross-contamination. As awareness and consumer demand grow, gluten free menus have become a standard, inclusive part of the dining experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-51917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-appetiser"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51917"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52065,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51917\/revisions\/52065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}