Plainview’s Michael Tully arrived at the meeting of the Long Island Celiac Support Group excited to bring the good news about a restaurant he had found where his daughter, who is gluten intolerant, could enjoy a meal without worrying about getting anything she wasn’t supposed to eat. Hearing that it was Jonathan’s in Garden City Park, Barbara Callanan told him her own good news—that she and her sister Joan Schmidt had worked with Jonathan’s to set up the gluten-free menu at the restaurant through their Gluten-Free Worry-Free Restaurant Training Program.
Callanan, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, was diagnosed with Celiac disease nine years ago. Knowing that, much fell into place for her—how she had never felt well, even as a child, how her head always felt “foggy” and how it had been difficult to concentrate in school.
“The fatigue I felt never went away even with 12 hours of sleep,” she said. “I continuously had gastric problems, the doctors thought I had an ulcer, hypoglycemia, and finally said I was a hypochondriac.”
Eventually her search for answers brought Callanan to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia where she was diagnosed with Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue.
Callanan completely changed her lifestyle and now adheres to a strict gluten-free diet. That means total avoidance of any products containing gluten such as wheat, rye, barley and oats, either directly or with the possibility that other foods have come into contact with those ingredients. Schmidt, a registered nurse and Callanan’s sister, explained that Celiac deals with the villi in the small intestine that absorb nutrients to feed the body. With the disease, the villi are attacked and get shorter and shorter. They are unable to take in the nutrients, therefore, starving the body, no matter how much food the person eats.
“I was so happy to finally find out what was wrong with me and that I would feel better without having to take medication,” said Callanan.
In 2011, Callanan and Schmidt decided—with their combined experience as a chef and a nurse and Callanan’s first hand knowledge of Celiac disease—to set up a partnership in Garden City, where Schmidt lives. It was around that time that Chef Alain Ribiere of Jonathan’s in Garden City Park was trying to figure out how to help his diners who were consistently asking about non-gluten dishes. He knew it wasn’t a simple thing to do but fortunately, he and the sisters connected with each other and started working on a plan.
Gluten free isn’t just a matter of cooking special ingredients. The kitchen and service has to be set up so that there is no possibility whatsoever of cross contamination. The result of their work at Jonathan’s is a special menu—appetizers, entrées and desserts—of gluten-free items that are prepared in an area that is separated from the rest of the kitchen. Pots and pans are used only for those dishes. Entrées that call for pasta are made with Le Veneziane corn flour pasta imported from Italy. Gluten-free breadcrumbs are used for seasoning. Prepared meals are brought to the diners covered so nothing can go wrong from kitchen to table.
Callanan, Schmidt and Ribiere took six months before implementing the program, making sure that everyone—chef, kitchen staff, waiters and hosts—was on board. There were training sessions for all the staff, utilizing training manuals developed by the sisters.
Jonathan’s gluten-free menu is enticing and offers entrées such as chicken piccata with shiitake mushroom wine/lemon sauce and gluten-free fettuccine; seafood paella with saffron rice and chargrilled skirt steak with grilled asparagus and a baked potato. Desserts include orange crème brûlée and chocolate mousse with strawberries. Part of the plan is for Callanan and Schmidt to return every three months to make sure the plan is being adhered to.
Callanan and Schmidt hope to bring their program to other restaurants and are developing a Gluten-Free Friendly Labeling system to keep the public informed. They often speak at libraries, providing education about how to live a gluten-free life.
“It’s difficult when going out to eat because most restaurants don’t understand it and they look at you as if you have three heads,” said Tully. “At Jonathan’s Restaurant it was the chef’s commitment to doing it right that has made it so successful. He wants to do the right thing and we can relax when eating there.”
