Friday, August 9, 2019

News & Notes: August 9, 2019



If you follow Gluten Free Philly on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, you know that Philly's own Wawa convenience store chain is testing two new gluten-free products: a Canadian bacon, egg & cheese muffin and a turkey & cheese hoagie. The test, which runs through September 1, is being conducted at six Pennsylvania locations:
  • 1195 Pottstown Pike, West Chester
  • 1501 West Chester Pike, West Chester
  • 1010 West Chester Pike, West Chester
  • 3604 Chestnut St., Philadelphia
  • 1190 Market St., Philadelphia
  • 150 S. Independence Mall W., Philadelphia
The products are made by a third party in a certified gluten-free facility. It comes in to stores frozen and individually bagged. Wawa associates heat it up directly in the bag.without opening it (similar to Starbucks' protocol for warming the now-discontinued gluten-free breakfast sandwich). Associates are also instructed that if the customer asks for any additional condiments on the side, they need to communicate that there will be cross contamination and they cannot eliminate the risk that gluten will be present. There are no further plans now for expanding or continuing the test, but the company's Product Development team will regroup after the test is complete to discuss next steps.

So how do they taste? From the comments to my recent social media posts, the breakfast sandwich seems to be the better of the two options, a sentiment shared by our contributor Sara, who took the pictures above. In particular, the hoagie that's served was not as appetizing as it appears in the promotional photo. One the plus side, she thought the price point ($4-$5) was reasonable.

At South Philly Barbacoa in the Italian Market (1140 S. 9th St., 215-360-5282), all menu options except for the apple cake are gluten free.

Reader Laura S. let me know that the Salty Mermaid Bar & Grille in North Wildwood (2507 Delaware Ave., 609-600-6125) preps gluten-free chicken tenders and fries in a dedicated fryer, and also offers flatbreads, pasta, burger buns and Redbridge beer.

Baltimore Gluten Free posted about her recent Jersey Shore vacation, and mentioned two new-to-me options. Pure Juice + Kitchen in Stone Harbor (9821 3rd Ave., 609-741-7226) has smoothies, juices, bowls, avocado and nut butter toasts. Eat Clean Org is a gluten-free meal prep company that has pick-up locations at, and delivery to, many shore points. The menu changes weekly.

Brigantine Bistro (3015 Brigantine Blvd., 609-264-5050) has gluten-free options for breakfast like omelets, pancakes and French toast as well as sandwiches at lunch. The kitchen uses a separate toaster and grill.

Calfornia Pizza Kitchen, which recently closed its Cherry Hill location but opened a location at Philadelphia International Airport (Concourse E), is offering take-and-bake certified-gluten-free cauliflower pizza at all non-airport outposts.


A new Red Lobster-branded gluten-free cheddar biscuit mix is now available at Walmart stores nationwide, though the product has been spotted at other markets such as Wegmans.


Wegmans has changed over its store-branded gluten-free pizzas from a rice flour crust to a cauliflower crust. All are priced less than $7.

Have a great weekend!

- Michael

With the always updated Gluten Free Philly app for iOS and Android devices, find more than 1,700 area gluten-free-friendly businesses on the go, search by cuisine or neighborhood, make reservations and more!