Imagine one day, out of the blue, a doctor tells you to stop eating half of the foods in your diet. It happened to me last September when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the small intestine because of a reaction to gluten, which is a complex mix of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. Most people know that Celiacs need to avoid traditional bread and pasta, but there are plenty of surprising foods as well, such as soy sauce and malt vinegar.
The most classic symptom of the disease is severe gastrointestinal distress. Other symptoms include fatigue, headaches, tingling, brain fog and anxiety because of nutrient deficiencies. Once the intestines are damaged by constant autoimmune responses to gluten, the body can no longer properly absorb nutrients.
Around 30 percent people have a Celiac gene, but it’s only active in a small portion of people. Celiac disease can develop at any point in someone’s life if they have one of the genes, and can be triggered by certain viruses, traumatic events and stress. If a first degree relative has Celiac, you’re much more likely to develop it. In fact, I only got tested after my sister was diagnosed.
After my diagnosis, I was curious which restaurants in Mt. Lebanon I could still eat at, and what it would be like to live here with this newfound condition.
My first step on this journey was to sit down with fellow Lebo ‘23 grad Doran Steinfeld, the only person I really knew in Mt. Lebanon with Celiac. He was more than happy to help, inviting me over to his family’s Lincoln-area home last summer.
A gluten-free pizza waited on a baking sheet to be put in the oven just as soon as the pumpkin muffins filling the house with a cinnamon smell were done. On the table, he set out two different gluten-free breads, a box of graham crackers and a packet of gluten-free Oreos.
As we began our mini-Celiac-safe feast, Doran’s parents, Lisa and Aaron Steinfeld, drifted in and out, eager to tell me about their experiences raising two kids with Celiac. Doran’s older sister Samara had been diagnosed, like Doran, as a young child. Aaron’s mother and brother also have Celiac, so the family is accustomed to the unique restrictions.
Doran laughingly told me how, at the synagogue, after Shabbat, there would be little cookies and treats out, with the gluten-free sweets getting their own table. His father often stood guard by this gluten-free table, ensuring that kids with crumby gluten-filled fingers wouldn’t contaminate the safe foods.
Reminiscing on his school days, Doran admitted that treats brought in for parties were often a burden on his parents.
“All of a sudden they’re getting a call and finding out that so-and-so is bringing in cupcakes,” Doran said. “They’d have to go out and get a gluten-free cupcake and run it over so I would have something to eat, so I wasn’t alone.”
It was difficult being the only kid with this dietary restriction, Doran remembers, although that may be changing.
“Growing up in high school and stuff I did not know anyone other than my family who had Celiac, but now, more and more I’m seeing people in general who are gluten-free.”
I asked Doran what places he knew of in Lebo that could handle gluten-free requests and he mentioned Mel’s Petit Café for their buckwheat crepes, Iovino’s for their soups, Jade Grille and Totopo. Each of these restaurants have varying degrees of safe options and awareness on how to avoid cross contamination.
But the holy grail of gluten-free restaurants in Mt. Lebanon is, without a doubt, Mullett’s. A cocktail bar offering appetizers and handhelds, almost everything at Mullett’s is gluten-free or can be with a bun swap — at no extra charge, a rarity. I’d only been to Mullett’s once with my family before my Celiac diagnosis, so last summer we returned with fresh eyes.
There seems to be a popular opinion that gluten-free food will always taste worse, so I wondered if Mullett’s hold its own even for gluten eaters? My biased answer and my parent’s unbiased answer is a resounding yes. We got loaded chili fries and handhelds — three smashburgers and a fried chicken sandwich for my sister.
The desserts, a banana and cookie dough pudding cup, were provided by local baker Seriously, It’s Gluten Free, although now Mullett’s is shifting towards making gluten-free desserts in-house. They also recently added gluten-free beer cheese fries to the menu, which was one of the foods I mourned the most after my diagnosis, so getting to have it again almost brought me to tears.
Not only is the food delicious, but the staff is incredibly friendly and accommodating. Head chef Gabe Bevilacqua even came out to chat with us about how he develops recipes, which gluten-free bread they use, and to answer any other questions we had.
However, Doran and I didn’t just talk about local restaurants.
“If you’re gluten-free, the most important place in Mt. Lebanon is Eden’s Market,” Doran revealed. “You’re gonna find a lot of great, cool brands there and stuff that you won’t find in other stores.”
I knew of Eden’s Market growing up, but only once ventured inside. A gluten-free and health food emporium, Eden’s Market carries unique foods from frozen meals to local baked goods and imported Italian brands of gluten-free pasta. Walking inside feels like stepping into a hidden little world, the neat aisles an array of supplements and snacks with fridges and freezers in the back. At our visit this summer, my sister and I filled a basket with muffins, crackers, pastries, pastas and chips. I even found gluten-free pastina, a shape that’s rare enough on its own, let alone gluten-free.
The owner was friendly and open to chatting. I feel so lucky to have this little emporium a short drive away when others would drive hours for something like this.
But a community is more than just the businesses, it’s the people. So how can people in Lebo be better neighbors to their Celiac peers? Doran has two main things he wishes people would know.
“It’s not my choice. I think a lot of people are like ‘ugh, why are you being so difficult,’ and even if they’re joking it’s still so annoying because I AM thinking about that,” Doran said. “I’m not one of those people who’s doing it for fun.”
But even beyond outright complaints and resistance, Doran and I and everyone else I’ve met with Celiac wish that people understood it better. It gets tiring to explain what it is and what we cannot eat.
‘No, an apple does not have gluten.’
‘No, we cannot take just a taste.’
If more restaurants and businesses took the effort to understand the disease, many more places and foods could be safe for Celiacs.
Doran told me that at college, for multiple days he could only eat a dry gluten-free bagel, because his school hadn’t refilled the gluten-free fridge. At restaurants, his dining partners will just completely forget about cross contamination and scrape dip over their bread before putting the knife right back in the communal bowl.
“And I’m not gonna say anything, I don’t want to make anyone feel bad, but I am making a note in my head of okay I’m not gonna have that anymore,” Doran told me.
Making a fuss about it doesn’t help, Doran noted, explaining how gushy apologies make him feel more uncomfortable.
“They think they’re being nice but they’re just making it a bigger deal and bringing attention to it when I don’t want that.”
But it’s not all bad, and we both know people who would move the world for us to have a safe meal. Doran fondly recalled a story from college, where a Shabbat dinner turned sour as the rabbi threw challah at him, a custom in some places that only succeeded in getting crumbs everywhere. But when Doran turned to his friend and saw they were just as furious about the situation, he felt better.
“I like it when my friends are looking out for me in public settings and are ready to go to bat for me,” Doran laughed. “It’s nice to know my friends have my back if I have to go to war with this rabbi.”
My parents put every food item in our house on a spreadsheet to discern what was gluten-free, then bought my sister and I enough gluten-free meals and snacks to last several lifetimes. My college roommates ensured our Friendsgiving meal was entirely gluten-free. My boyfriend is more than willing to go to the same three restaurants forever if they’re where I feel safe.
I encourage my fellow Lebo community members to support spots with gluten-free options, even if you aren’t gluten-free. It’s a great way to ensure that they’ll stay around for everyone. Also, don’t write something off just because it’s gluten-free — it might be even better than you’d imagined.
Doran’s parting advice was to educate yourself on Celiac, whether you’re diagnosed or not. To tell your Celiac friend if you’ve contaminated something — they won’t be mad, they just want to know so they don’t get sick. And, most importantly, that if you’ve just been diagnosed, it’ll be okay. A message I now wholeheartedly endorse.
*This blog was edited on February 24 to correct information on Celiac disease. In a previous version, it stated that Celiac disease causes the body to attack gluten, rather than that Celiac disease causes the body to attack the small intestine as a result of gluten consumption.