I’ve always found it odd that California Pizza Kitchen had a gluten-free menu but hadn’t ventured into offering a gluten-free crust..untill now, that is. They recently began offering an extensive list of pizza choices  ( 29 of their standard varieties, but the Thai Chicken and Roasted Artichoke & Spinach varieties are not available gf) that can be made with their gluten-free crust. The pizza crust is made of rice flour along with cornstarch and also contains dairy and soy.

I contacted the Natick, MA location to inquire about measures taken to decrease the chance of cross-contmaination. I was told that the pizza is prepped on a clean, separate surface and is placed on a pizza-sized foil sheet so it never comes into contact with the oven surface. These crusts are prepackaged and the seal remains intact until an order is placed.  The ‘regular’ pizza  is pressed into the pan as opposed to being tossed in the air, in hopes of decreasing the presence of airborne wheat flour.  Also, specially designated utensils and pizza cutters are used for the gluten-free pizza. 

In addition, we’re waiting to hear more from the California Pizza Kitchen corporate office in regards to the issue of potential cross-contamination of toppings and shared pizza sauce ladles.  At this time, I was told that they are “working on their kitchen procedures in regards to gf pizza”, and that I should “stay tuned”!  Well, let’s hope to hear back from them soon.

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