When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I was under the impression that I would have to say my goodbyes to most foods and the societal aspects of food. It was a hard and lonely reality to face, especially for someone who loves food as much as I do. It's something you can't really understand unless a doctor has looked you in the eyes and said, "You are going to do permanent and severe damage to your body if you continue to eat (fill in the blank)". So I said my goodbyes to gluten and seemingly all of the delicious foods that gluten traditionally makes.
One week later.
The pizza craving hits you like a freight train. And it always does, doesn't it? Pizza cravings?
So what's a girl to do? Get the cardboard GF frozen pizza from the grocery store? No way. Then I remember! My vegan friends told me once that there were vegan AND gluten free options at the Pie! Visions of Thai Pies dance in my head from my childhood. I call ahead and order a Chicken Bar-B-Que Pie, a Mini Meat Pie and Cheesy Breadsticks. The girl I talk to is so nice as she explains to me that they make their Gluten Free pies in a dedicated area of the kitchen. I ask about the ranch which she says is Gluten Free but isn't made in a way that would prevent contamination. Contamination, you say? The fact that she mentions this word to me shows that she is educated and their whole staff probably is too! Not only that, but she cares about my dietary restrictions and wants to help. I haven't even made it to the store yet and already I am impressed.
I enter the store and they pull up my order on the computer. She says to me, "If you can wait for just a second, my manager is going to the back to get some gluten free ranch." This makes me so happy. More points for them as they once again show that they genuinely care about my dietary restrictions. They bring the boxes out and they are specially labelled with a Gluten Free sticker. They explain, "Sorry we normally show customers their pizzas but we don't with the gluten free ones to prevent air contamination." My jaw is practically on the floor, I coulda kissed them on the mouth! The service is fast and friendly and I happily leave with my three boxes of cheesy carbs.
We crack open the breadsticks and take a bite. It's pure heaven. Thin crust, the right balance between crispy and chewy. The crust has the best flavor, too. We eat the pizza when we get home and it's even better than the breadsticks. It's so good, and yet somehow the experience I had there from top to bottom was even better than the delicious food they served us.
It was so validating and refreshing to see a restaurant attentive to the needs of its customers, even their customers that aren't in the majority with their dietary needs. As someone who frequents restaurants often, I feel strongly that if you are kind, you will most often receive kindness in return. In exchange for that kindness though, all I ask is that restaurant employees try. You can't go out to eat and expect people to be perfect, that would be completely unfair. You can however, expect them to try. The Pie does just that, and they try hard. My experience at The Pie honestly felt like a big hug that said, "You matter!" which at the time was exactly what I needed, just like the pizza.
A message directly from the Pie Pizzeria's online menu:
We try our absolute best to ensure that every Gluten Free Pie is prepared fresh and safe for you and your family. We carefully prepare each Gluten Free Pie in a separate (enclosed) pizza making area, away from products that contain Gluten. The Pie prepares almost everything from scratch, so there IS a very small risk of gluten exposure. While this may be the case, we want you to know that we take every precaution to ensure that your Gluten Free Pie is prepared in the safest manner possible. This includes having separate Gluten Free make areas, as well as using color coded knives, cutters, and tools for all GF menu items. Our cooks change their aprons and gloves before entering the our Gluten Free areas and will prepare your Pie using only pre-approved Gluten Free pizza toppings. Your GF Pie will always be served to you in a sealed box to reduce airborne gluten exposure. Enjoy!
