Our Story

Roughly ten years ago celiac disease became widely acknowledged by physicians in the United States. Patients who were exhibiting symptoms such as weight loss, nausea, and lethargy were tested and diagnosed with the genetic autoimmune disorder affecting 1 in 100 Americans.

When people with celiac disease consume gluten, the protein in wheat, barley, and rye, their immune system reacts by damaging the villi, which are the tiny hair-like projections lining the small intestine that helps people absorb nutrients.

By 2010 the media was buzzing about the new gluten-free diet. People were going gluten-free,whether they had celiac or not. Interestingly, most of them felt better. The media hailed the movement as a fad in 2010. Years later it has become quite apparent by a large number of people. millennial moms in particular, who have tossed the gluten and are looking for healthier choices for their families.

Chef Luca started producing gluten-free pizza, chicken parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana, mozzarella sticks, calzones, stuffed shells, and more in his Massapequa pizzeria, Pizza Bistro. He was selling these meals from a freezer in the front of the shop. After one taste, people were ordering frozen meals by the dozen. Slowly, Luca changed over the kitchen to be completely gluten-free to avoid any cross-contamination. He was serving everyone in his dining room gluten-free meals, with or without their knowledge. No one ever figured it out, but one can assume they felt much better after leaving their tables. 

As word got out, retailers on Long Island were inquiring about the gluten-free entrees being made at Pizza Bistro which tasted like the real thing. Luca got a walk-in freezer and started mass producing right in the restaurant. Mark Weinberg of the National Gluten Free Alliance met Luca, loved the products, and started selling locally and nationally shortly thereafter.