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A platter of steamed clams with basil and chilli

Gluten-free catering

Coeliac guests get the same dinner as everyone else.

Not a substitute plate carried out after the others. A menu written so that the gluten-free version is the version — cooked with dedicated equipment, on separated surfaces, by a chef who ran a gluten-free program in a working restaurant for twelve years.

Kitchen protocols

Exactly how it is handled, so you can judge it yourself.

Anyone can say "we can do gluten free." The community has heard it and been made ill by it. So here is the actual process, in enough detail that you can decide whether it is good enough for the person you are worried about.

Separated prep, before anything else starts

Gluten-free work is prepped first, on cleaned and sanitised surfaces, before any flour is opened that day. Dedicated boards, knives, pans, tongs and utensils — colour coded, stored separately, never in the shared rotation.

Sourcing checked to the label

Every ingredient is verified — including stocks, soy and fish sauces, mustards, spice blends, baking powder and anything processed on shared lines. Suppliers are asked directly about their own facilities.

On-site process

No shared fryer oil, ever. Separate service utensils and a covered holding area. Where there is a buffet, gluten-free items are placed first in the line and physically separated so nobody drags a serving spoon across them.

Guests logged by seat

Coeliac guests are recorded by name and seat number and the plate is carried by a server who has been told which one it is. Nothing depends on a guest having to ask at the table.

What I do not claim

I am not a third-party certified gluten-free facility, and I will not say I am. What I have is documented protocol and twelve years of practice. If you need certification, ask and I will tell you honestly where the line is.

The restaurant years

People drove from Vancouver for it, week after week.

Jan's on the Beach ran a real gluten-free program — not two token items, but a menu where most dishes could be made properly gluten free, cooked in a kitchen with the equipment and the discipline to do it.

People drove from Vancouver and out of the Valley for it, week after week, for years. Coeliac families booked their birthdays with us because it was the one place a kid could order what everybody else was ordering.

That is the whole credential. It is also why I take this seriously enough to write it out rather than put a leaf icon on the menu.

Heirloom tomato and bocconcini salad on a blue plate

Sample menus

Wholly gluten-free menus — nothing adapted, nothing missing.

Four courses

Seated dinner

  • Steamed clams, white wine, garlic, herbs
  • Buckwheat crêpe, smoked salmon, dill crème
  • Crisp polenta, wild mushroom ragù, aged parmesan
  • Almond and olive oil cake, roasted plums

Passed

Reception canapés

  • Seared scallop, pesto, crisp pancetta
  • Prawn cocktail, cucumber, lemon
  • Beef carpaccio on polenta, aioli, parmesan
  • Chicken satay, peanut, lime
  • Brown butter brownie bites

Shared

Wedding, family style

  • Grazing table — cheeses, cured meats, preserves
  • Market greens, pear, blue cheese, walnut
  • Braised short rib, celeriac purée, gremolata
  • Roasted carrots, hazelnut, honey
  • Chocolate pâté, crème fraîche, raspberry

Straight answers

The questions coeliac clients actually ask.

Certification and mixed menus

  • The kitchen is not certified gluten free, and I will not claim otherwise
  • Documented protocols in a kitchen that also handles gluten
  • If you need a certified facility I will say so rather than take the booking
  • Mixed menus are most of what I do — GF portions prepped first, plated separately, covered

Equipment and staff

  • Nothing gluten free ever goes through shared oil
  • Dedicated oil, or the dish is cooked another way
  • Every person on the team is briefed on cross-contamination before service
  • Serving staff are told by seat, not by tray

Transparency

  • Full ingredient lists for your menu on request, including brands
  • If a dish is compromised in transport or on site, it does not go out
  • I tell you why. That has been the rule for twelve years.
Thank you for your care, thoughtfulness and professionalism during this meaningful time for our family.
Two days of gluten-free catering, memorial · C & Family
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Before you ask

Questions people actually ask.

Anything not covered here, ask directly — I answer my own enquiries.

Send an enquiry →
Where do you cook?

South Surrey, White Rock and across the Lower Mainland. I cook in your home kitchen or at your venue, and for larger events I have access to a commissary kitchen at the Elks Hall. Beyond the Lower Mainland, ask; travel is possible for the right event.

How much does it cost?

Pricing is per head and depends on the menu, the ingredients and how much service you want. Plated multi-course dinners cost more than family-style or drop-off. Every enquiry gets a written quote before anything is booked.

How do you keep it genuinely gluten-free?

Separate boards, pans, oil and service utensils, and gluten-free menus written as their own dishes rather than substitutions. I will walk you through the handling before the event so you can answer your guests confidently.

Can we customise the menu?

Yes — the example menus are starting points, not a set list. Menus are written around what is in season, what you like and what your guests can eat. I write a draft after the consultation and adjust it until it is right.

Do you handle alcohol?

I do not supply alcohol. You buy the wine, beer and spirits — which is almost always cheaper for you — and I will tell you what to buy and how much, and pour and serve it during the meal. For wine pairing dinners I write the courses around the bottles you already have.

How far ahead should we book?

Two to three weeks is enough for a private dinner. Weddings and larger events want two to three months, mostly so the menu and the rentals are settled well ahead of the date. I take a small number of events a year, so summer Saturdays go early.

What is included, and what do we provide?

I bring my own knives, pans and small equipment, cook, serve and leave the kitchen clean. Plates, glassware, linen and extra service staff are quoted separately if you need them rented — many clients use what they already own. Dietary restrictions and allergies are handled properly, not worked around.

Jan in the kitchen, finishing a plate

A small number of events a year

Tell me who is coming and what they cannot eat.

Same enquiry form as everything else. Put the restriction in the message and I will answer that part first.

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