Gluten Free is for Me | The Land That Ugly Forgot

15Jan/1110

Boston Pizza Gluten-Free

I was so excited when I heard Boston Pizza had starting selling gluten-free pizzas. To someone who can't have wheat and has to make their own pizza crust (since store-bought ones taste in the realm of paste-like slabs of uninteresting rice flour mixed with water), the ability to buy a pizza at an iconic restaurant chain held high promise. I giddily ordered one for take out, brought it home, put it on the counter, took my shoes off, put my purse away then opened the cardboard box to reveal what I was envisioning to be a delicious, juicy, tender, yummy mess of a cheesy pie.....

Disappointment. Not to say I don't appreciate large chains like Boston Pizza making an effort to cater to us growing number of gluten intolerants, but there's a Canadian two dollar coin so you can see the size of this pie in relation. Check out the awesome gluten-free pizzas you can get at Me-n-Ed's, Mainly Organics and Panago. Boston Pizza's offering only comes in this size. How does this function as a meal? And why does it have to be square-shaped? It reiterates to the person eating it that, "Hey you, you're odd and abnormal." Yes, the shape of the pizza probably is, in fact, the feature itself that distinguishes it to be gluten-free and secure the mindset of the person eating it, but can't there be some other indicator? How about make it a normal circular pie shape and put a sticker on the take out box indicating it's gluten-free, or for those eating in the restaurant they could stick a little plastic flag on the pie along the lines of the indicators they put on steaks to signify the rareness. Just my perspectives and ideas. And I'm still hungry. Sigh.

Tagged as: boston pizza, box, celiac, crust, eating, Food, gf, gfree, gluten free, meal, menu, opinion, order, pizza pie, restaurant, review, take out Leave a comment

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SRQ
January 16th, 2011 - 07:00

I’ve never heard of Boston’s. At least they’re trying! Maybe it’s worth sending them an email about your experience. I’ve discovered pizza is one of the most difficult GF items to create in a tasty form. There are two restaurants in SRQ that make GF pizza (round but small). Like you, I was thrilled at the idea. They’re okay…but, somehow miss the mark.
Perry
January 19th, 2011 - 11:34

Hi – Perry from Boston Pizza here. We saw your blog post regarding our gluten-free pizza and wanted to provide you with some additional background on the product. Our gluten-free pizza crust is produced by Kinnikinnick Foods in Edmonton, Alberta. Kinnikinnick is a certified gluten-free facility that is well known in the gluten-free community. During our research and development of this product, we tried many different pizza crusts and Kinnikinnick was by far the best. At this time, this supplier only produces the crust in the square shape and in one size. Based on feedback from our Guests and the popularity of this item with the broader gluten-intolerant community, we are very pleased with this product. We look forward to adding additional gluten-free products to our menu in the future.
Michael
January 19th, 2011 - 15:28

I was unaware of BP’s gluten free offering but I would have to wonder about the worry of cross contamination. Maybe they are diligent in regards to that? With other similar restaurants it has been hit and miss in my experiene.
Kathryn
January 19th, 2011 - 19:09

Are you gluten-free as well by necessity, or by choice? Making gluten-free pizza at home with your favourite gf recipe just isn’t the same, or even if you buy the crust and top it yourself… it’s the restaurant experience that’s missing! If you’re interested, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company also has a gluten-free pizza option. Their crust is the more thin, crisp and crunchy-type though, so if you like a snappy crust then that may be one for you to try too.
Michael
February 15th, 2011 - 18:23

Sorry I forgot about my comment here until just now. My Dad has Celiac disease so I tend to pay attention when someone mentions new gluten-free possibilities. I bought up these new pizza options with him and it turns out he doesn’t like pizza – though I am not sure how that is possible?! I am glad to see that gluten-free products are becoming more and more available though.
Esme
February 25th, 2011 - 10:39

I’m trying it now & think it’s great! Taste: nice to have a “fluffier” crust option. Really tasty. I often eat Pizza Pizza (Ontario) & theirs is more solid. I think the pizza size is good for dinner with salad, filling size for lunch. Will definitely have it again…now I just wish there were more Boston Pizzas in Toronto!
Debbie
May 10th, 2011 - 08:19

A friend recently tried the gluten free BP pizza on Mother’s Day, and ended up with an attack. How sad for her! So obviously, there are still some issues to work out, either cross contamination, as suggested above, or there is something else they are using that is not gluten free. As people suffering from Celiac know, there can be some surprises in foods that one normally would think would be gluten free: could be thickeners in the tomato sauce, or in the case of cheese, if BP’s mozzerella comes in pre-shredded, these often have flour in the mix, to keep the shreds from sticking together.

I applaud Boston Pizza for the effort, but it looks like the process hasn’t been thoroughly investigated, or the control is missing in the kitchen when the food is being prepared.
Kathryn
May 11th, 2011 - 12:18

It is amazing in how many things you’ll find it. Depending how sensitive one is, even salad dressing can be a culprit – I never thought to look before at salad dressing labels, but sure enough you’ll find gluten in some of them. I don’t usually have such a serious intolerance that cross-contamination is an issue, so I was ok with the Boston Pizza GF version. Definitely though, you’d think there’s some sort of allergens in the cheese, especially assuming it is supplied to them pre-shredded, like you suggest. Out of curiosity next time I’m at the grocery store I’m going to look at the ingredients on the pre-shredded cheese packaging!
Debbie
April 14th, 2012 - 04:38

Hi, I eat the Boston Pizza GF last night, I also was so excited to try it, it was very tasty, I truly enjoyed while I was eating…..but there is gluten hidden somewhere!! I could not sleep all night, major stomache pains. Maybe it was the cheese, I’m not sure but it’s to bad, I thought I found a place to eat and feel normal again!!
Disappointed.
hbasi
June 16th, 2012 - 22:13

hi, I was recently diagnosed with gluten sensitivity and am also being tested for celiac. I tried the BP Pizza and questioned the server who was able to answer all my questions. I truly enjoyed my pizza and didn’t feel any stomach pains afterwards! Thank heavens there is something delicious i can eat!