Simply Pies Certified as Gluten Free Eatery
While they have always offered gluten free menu choices, it is especially exciting to ensure that customers with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance can dine with confidence. The timing of the certification is especially serendipitous as May is Celiac Awareness month.
Gluten-free certification is a painstaking process where an independent third party tests a company’s products to ensure its gluten free status. With this certification, all of Simply Pies’ gluten free menu items will be marked with the GF logo. The GF logo represents quality, integrity, purity of products, unmatched reliability and strict gluten-free standards. The GFCO standards are vigorous, with a gluten free standard that allows each batch tested to be only 10 parts per million (PPM) for gluten protein. The FDA suggests 20 ppm. Simply Pies passed the inspection with phenomenal results: under 5 parts per million for gluten in its gluten free pie crust.
Simply Pies has offered gluten free menu items since opening its doors in 2008 at its commercial space in downtown Santa Barbara. When evolving from the commercial kitchen into a restaurant space in Goleta in 2010, owners Nancy Blau and Hana Miller began researching the process for certification. They wanted to give consumers the assurance that their gluten free menu options truly would not contain any wheat or related grains that proved problematic for those with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance.
Simply Pies co-owner, Nancy Blau expanded on the reasons they offer gluten free items, “We didn’t initially set out to develop a Gluten Free crust. We had so many customers coming through our door asking about Gluten Free pie and baked goods that we realized our community was underserved in this market. We tried every other GF crust on the shelves and were underwhelmed. Co-Owner, Hana Miller adds “We set our sights on creating one that would have customers coming back for more and also to provide a place where people could dine GF and trust it wasn’t contaminated. We have friends who are Celiac and gluten intolerant and know how difficult it can be to find really delicious products.”
Simply Pies has become a local favorite for providing locally sourced, farm fresh dessert pies, pot pies, cheesecakes, quiches and more. Not only can everything on the menu be made with a gluten free crust, vegan and no sugar options are also available. For more information about Simply Pies, visit www.simplypiessb.com.