For people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, eating out can be a challenge. Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant just made it easier with a full gluten-free menu.
Most restaurant menus have gluten-free items, but the selection can be lacking. And while it’s easy to spot things like bread and pastas that obviously have gluten, you have to be mindful that most sauces, broths and stocks have it also.
Even things that are naturally gluten-free, like french fries, can be tainted by using the same frying oil as items with gluten, like chicken tenders.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant offers a full gluten-free menu.
Daily Herald file photo
Cooper’s Hawk Chief Culinary Officer Matt McMillin said they’ve always had some GF dishes, but wanted to “go all in.”
The new two-page menu features multiple appetizers, soups and salads, entrées including pastas, chicken, steaks and seafood, as well as desserts. They also made all of their Life Balance menu, which includes items between 300 and 600 calories, gluten-free.
“There’s probably one person in every large group that comes in that’s gluten-free,” McMillin said, adding that, in many cases, it didn’t take much work to make things safe for those with dietary restrictions.
“Some of our most popular dishes were not gluten-free, and they were due to ancillary things like a sauce,” he said. “Now when we create a dish, we want something that everyone can eat.”
Cooper’s Hawk recently introduced a full gluten-free menu, including a seared Atlantic salmon.
Rick West/[email protected]
One of the main culprits was soy sauce, which is used in a number of the restaurant’s dishes. By switching from soy sauce to tamari, they were able to make about 20 menu items gluten-free, including popular entrées like their soy ginger Atlantic salmon and churrasco grilled steak, as well as the Asian ahi tuna sashimi appetizer.
One of McMillin’s favorite GF additions is their new country gnocchi. The gnocchi, made by a local company, uses rice flour and tapioca starch.
They also designated one fryer specifically for gluten-free items to avoid cross contamination, which allows for their top-selling appetizer crispy Brussels sprouts and a vegetarian enchilada that is fried, not to mention sides like french fries, to be gluten-free.
All the breads for their burgers and sandwiches are made locally by a gluten-free bakery.
The Asian ahi tuna sashimi was made gluten-free at Cooper’s Hawk by switching from soy sauce to tamari.
Rick West/[email protected]
Gluten is a protein that provides structure and elasticity to food. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, an estimated 3 million people are affected by celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disease that interferes with the absorption of food.
A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for celiac disease. And for those with a gluten sensitivity, eating it can cause digestive issues, headaches, nerve and joint pain and other issues.
McMillin said one of the main motivations behind the menu was to create dishes that would satisfy all their guests and not make them feel like they were sacrificing.
“In the past, when we would create a dish, we would take things off to make it gluten-free, we wouldn’t add things to it,” he said. “If two people got the same thing but one was gluten free, one dish would look a little sad. Now the majority of the dishes are the same in most respects.
“We wanted more innovation, and it opened up a ton of new dishes.”
Enjoy a gluten-free salted caramel crème brûlée for dessert at Cooper’s Hawk.
Rick West/[email protected]
The menu was rolled out nationwide, including more than a dozen suburban locations, at the end of October. McMillin said it’s been well-received by guests and easy to execute in the restaurants.
“Anecdotally, I’ve heard great things, especially about the gnocchi and the salmon,” he said. “It’s exciting, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with people in the gluten-free world.”