Traveling for gluten free goodies is a new concept for me, but I follow a couple of people on Instagram that do just that. Last October I called one of the places I order from online due to an issue with my order and found out that Salt Lake City has the world’s largest gluten free convention. This started the idea of a SLC trip. I joined a Utah gluten free Facebook group, asked questions and researched manufacturers in the area. What I came up with was a list of more than a dozen places in the area. We tried as many as we possibly could and brought home a full cooler as well as two very full grocery bags.
Places we tried/shopped: Via 313, Good Food Gluten Free Bakery, J Dawgs, Momo’s Cheesecake, Mrs Hewitts, Costco (world’s largest), Real Taqueria, Sprouts, Harmon’s, Sweet Cakes and Billy Blancos.
List of places we didn’t have time or space in our bellies to try: Amrosial Bakery, Joy Luck Chinese, City Cakes, Moms place, Vessel Kitchen and Smoked Taco.
Via 313: They make an incredible gf pizza, the dough is made fresh every day. It is a fluffy Chicago style square pizza, I had the Hawaiian with olives added. I was not a huge fan of the toppings. The dough however was delicious. Via 313 is on my list of places to return to. Really wish they sold their crusts or dough, as I would have stocked up. Leftovers reheated really well the next morning. They are not a dedicated gluten free facility. Location: 150 W 10600 S, Sandy, UT 84070
Good Food Gluten Free Bakery: Get there early or call ahead! They do small batch items like sour dough bread, scones and cinnamon rolls. We went our first morning in town and someone had already purchased all of the cinnamon rolls. Then when my husband went back a couple of days later they were out of sourdough. This was by far our favorite sourdough bread and the cinnamon rolls are equally delicious. Scones like the rosemary garlic ones were worth picking up a second time. The cinnamon rolls are a more dense dough, we loved them. We will for sure be going back but next time I will call a week ahead to let them know what we want to pick up. This is a dedicated gluten free facility. Address: 23, A-113, W 800 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
J Dawgs: This place does two kinds of hot dogs, an all beef and a polish dog both can be made on a gf bun. J Dawgs uses Mrs Hewitts buns and their special sauce is the bees knees. On my birthday I spent more than a pretty penny to have an all beef dog with a jar of special sauce delivered via door dash to our AirBNB. So worth it! The fries are NOT gluten free, they batter them. Menu is simple: two kinds of dogs, fries and drinks. That’s all. It is not a dedicated gf facility but I felt confident eating there. Do not leave without the special sauce, trust me. Address: 50 E S Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Momo’s Cheesecake: AMAZING! We ordered a half dozen of the gf cupcake size cheesecakes. They were topped with things like chocolate granach, fresh raspberries, fresh made whip cream and salted caramel. Yum Yum YUMMY! We ate them so fast that I forgot to get a photo. My favorite was the raspberry lime. The cupcake size does not have a crusted bottom, we did not miss the crust. The cheesecakes are a fluffy light cheesecake, perfect for devouring multiple of them in one setting. Not a dedicated gf facility, very clean. Location: 29 E 400 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Real Taqueria: I enjoyed the cheese and chili tamales and the nachos that were dripping in queso. The nachos alone could have fed two of us, the toppings were so thick we could have used a side of chips to go with it. The tamale was perfectly made. Definitely on my list of places to return to in the future. They also had glass bottle squirt soda, which I had not had in probably 20 years. Not a dedicated gluten free facility. Location: 1869 E Murray Holladay Rd, Holladay, UT 84117
Billy Blancos: We enjoyed a day checking out Park City, Utah and shopped our way up and down main street. After shopping we went to check out Billy Blancos, this place is an automotive themed Mexican American restaurant. They can do anything on the menu gluten free, you just have to ask. They even carry a special stash of corn chips that are gluten free. Did you know corn chips made in oil that has also cooked gluten items means they are cross contaminated? The salsa came with a creamy cilantro lime dip as well, we both thought it was very tasty. Staff was very friendly and aware of gluten safety. I had the queso with chips and the avocado mango salad, both delicious. This is not a dedicated facility. Location: 8208 Gorgoza Pines Rd, Park City, UT 84098
Alright now onto shopping….
World’s Largest Costco: This place was phenomenal, it has a business center Costco and a regular Costco combined. My husband was incredibly impressed with 4 giant isles of non alcoholic beverages, sodas, waters, etc. This was a perfect outing on a rainy Monday afternoon. We found a number of things like shredded chicken tacos, taquitos, caramels and most importantly the BFree sourdough bread. This is a dense sourdough that is mildly sour, and makes great grilled cheese sandwiches. Definitely worth the time we spent there and helpful in getting our steps in while it is pouring outside. Location: 1818 S 300 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Harmon’s (grocery store): I would say this reminded me of an Albertsons/Safeway/Vons store. We were able to find a number of things and they had even more that I did not take home. What we did take home was a lucky spoon brownie (AMAZING with ice cream), tortilla chips, salsa and Tost beverages. Successful shopping for sure, I likely would have picked up more if we went later in our trip. Location: 3270 S 1300 East Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Sprouts (grocery store): This was my first time in Sprouts, I have been near a Sprouts before but didn’t dare go in. On those trips I was flying and knew I would want to take a bunch of stuff home with me. I was correct in my assumption. At some point while in the store I had to remind myself that I will visit again and didn’t need to take everything home. What I did take home with me: La Tortilla Factory gluten free tortillas, BFree mini pita breads, a number of individually wrapped protein bars, Rudi’s breakfast sandwiches, GF Wholly pizza dough and a number of other things. Location: 216 S 700 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Mrs Hewitts: Weekly we order our basic sandwich bread and sometimes buns from Mrs Hewitts. We like the homestyle white for everything from a ham sandwich to a PB&J. Visiting their retail location was fun as we found many other things we are enjoying. We love the hamburger buns and hot dog buns, so I stocked up on those. Here in Idaho the Boise Fry company uses their buns and BFC is how we initially found Mrs Hewitts.
At Mrs Hewitts we picked up a couple of things you can only get at the retail location. The chicken pot pies made by Goetze were tasty, perfectly seasoned, and baked up to perfection. Later I found out they also carry a ranch bacon chicken bake (like a Costco chicken baked but gf), we will be trying next time we are in town. DEDICATED facility. Location: 395 Lawndale Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Sweet Cakes Bake Shop: This was our last stop before heading to Antelope Island and then home. It was very worth it. I picked up some toffee cookies, a strawberry pie and other misc baked goods. When we got back home to Idaho I tried a few bites of the strawberry pie before putting it away and then I woke up at 3 am craving it. It was an individual size pie and if I would have known how perfect it was going to be I would have ordered more. Location: 96 S Main St, Bountiful, UT 84010
Travel tip: Pack your own road snacks. Not only does it save money but you know you have safe foods available as needed.
Road snacks we packed: Tillamook sharp cheese sticks, Ruffles, Snyder’s gf pretzels, green grapes, strawberries, kiwis, nuts, carrot sticks and hummus. As well as sparkling water, coke zero (for the husband) and a few candies. PS Never forget the peanut M&Ms, they have protein.
The AirBNB that we picked was chosen solely on the fact that they had an adjustable bed like the one we have at home. Normally I pick a vacation rental with a hot tub or soaking tub but a bed I know I will get a good night’s sleep in was huge. It’s a tiny place, with exactly what you need and nothing you do not. No clutter at all, dresser and baskets were empty allowing us to put away our clothing and feel like we were at home. Kitchen was spotless, I was prepared to have to clean the kitchen prior to eating but there was not a crumb in sight. (Of coarse I was still safe as you can’t see gluten). This place was a 10/10 for us. The only thing I like that they don’t have is a hot tub but in order to get a good night’s sleep I will forgo a soak. The washer and dryer meant we came home with no laundry, big win! Link: https://www.airbnb.com/slink/OkXMvoS2
ADHD post vacation tip: Unpack as soon as you get home, fully unpack and put everything away. If you wait, things will sit in bags for weeks. Even if we get home at 3 am, I fully unpack before I go to bed. I don’t let myself think about it, I just go into “go-mode” and get it done. You will never regret putting things away.
Other things we checked out that were amazing….
Antelope Island is like nothing I have ever seen. Mountains surrounding the skyline, surrounded by the Great Salt Lake and Bison so close to our car you could have touched them. (We didn’t).
Shoshone Falls: In Twin Falls Idaho. FYI the town of Shoshone is not where the falls are, I might have taken us on a fun long-ish detour. Growing up in Oregon I have seen some epic falls in my life and for many years we lived so close to Multnomah Falls that I would pop by there often. That being said the Shoshone falls, they are massive and very peaceful. Definitely worth the trip.
IKEA: When in an area with an IKEA we have to make a stop. We picked up lots of little things that can be used as plant pots and some random gadgets.
With all of our food adventures and some being non dedicated facilities I was certain I would feel off at some point. Not once in the trip did I have any indication of cross contamination. Every place we ate was knowledgable, knew how things were handled to make it safe and very kind. I never felt like I was putting someone out because of my celiac safety questions.
We had a lovely time away just the two of us for my gluten free birthday adventure in SLC. We slowed down, had no time frames or big plans and took each day with ease. On my birthday I chose to stay at the AirBNB to rest. I took time to read, journal, meditate and just be. My husband went out a bit, including a stop to pick me up cinnamon rolls. He’s the best!
This is the first time in many years that I have unplugged from work without being out due to being sick. I will say that I have in the past been encouraged to unplug but that isn’t my style. This week I unplugged and it has been glorious. In fact tonight is the first time I have been in front of my laptop in 7 days.
Well that’s all for this week. Remember to give yourself grace during the week ahead.
In Park City, Utah with the love of my life. 🙂
In between: My journey to healing 
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