mama mimi's, mmm...

Hello, gluten free world!

There's a new pizza place in town, and it is totally worth tracking down!  Mama Mimi's -- a pizza chain that started in Columbus in 2000 -- has moved into Cincinnati.  The Anderson location is now open, and locations in Kenwood & Oakley are opening soon.

I met with Brett, who gave me a brief history and answered lots of questions for me.  Their gluten-free crust is made in a dedicated gluten-free facility, while their white and honey wheat crusts are made in-house.  The gluten-free comes prepackaged, is a medium 12" crust, and has a $4 upcharge.

So, what makes them different?  This pizza is take-and-bake, and the toppings are fresh & high quality.  There are no tables for dining, but there are benches, a variety of wine & beer, and a fun photo display.

Just what is take-and-bake?  It's growing in popularity, because it allows families and groups of friends to bake the pizza on their own, which imparts a special texture & flavor that aren't as apparent in a pizza delivered to your door.  You will have to pop it into a preheated oven, but it cooks to perfection in about 8 minutes.

The menu is pretty big, but the pink GF symbol makes the gluten-free options really easy to read.

And Brett clarified: this symbol indicates which are gluten-free with no modifications, beyond the crust.  Many other items are easily made gluten-free with simple adjustments, like leaving Gorgonzola off the award-winning Mama's Marmelletta Amore pizza.  They really take great care to avoid cross-contamination with gluten. And since the pizzas aren't cooked on-site, there aren't cutting & serving tools to worry about getting glutened.

I asked the staff for suggestions and tried a half-and-half pizza:

• Parma Pesto Chicken - pesto, mozzarella, chicken, black olive, tomato, artichoke heart, & Parmesan (hold the onion for me)
• Primo Vegetarian - red sauce, mozzarella, spinach, tomato, broccoli, artichoke heart, Parmesan, & roasted garlic (hold the mushroom & onion for me)

It was delicious.  From my boyfriend's mom, who isn't gluten intolerant and knows how much I love a good pizza: "Seriously, the best GF pizza I have tasted!"  The taste, texture, & variety of toppings make up for that $4 charge.  It's the tastiest gluten-free crust I've had.  Drool-worthy.

It's quickly made to order and shrink-wrapped right in front of you.  Then a sticker with simple to follow instructions is slapped on, and you're ready to go.  And they have online ordering, so you don't even have to wait!

Bonus: they have a loyalty club called Mama's Family that you can join in-store or at their website.  After the purchase of 10 pizzas, the 11th is free!  

Let Mama Mimi's bring your family and friends back to the table sometime soon, and let me know what you think!  

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Full disclosure:
Views and opinions expressed above are mine & mine alone.  Beyond receiving a pizza to sample, I was in no way compensated for this review.

original gino's pizza in toledo

My boyfriend is in a National Guard unit based in Perrysburg, Ohio, located just outside Toledo. Earlier this year for his unit's Viale Memorial Ball, I joined him for his drill weekend and found a yummy treat: Original Gino's Pizza. I tried delivery as I prepped for the ball.

It was so tasty, I picked up another from the North Dixie Highway location the next day for the drive back to Cincinnati.

I originally found Gino's via Urbanspoon's handy Gluten-Free Friendly list.  The restaurant has multiple locations in the Toledo area, online ordering, and a smartphone app.  The website doesn't actually make mention of the gluten-free option, but it's there in the Crusts section when you visit the store-specific online menu.  Like many pizza places, the gluten-free crust is only available in one size, large.

The website doesn't actually make mention of the gluten-free option, but it's there in the Crusts section when you visit the store-specific online menu.  A little button pops up asking, "Xtra?" to access additional options: light, extra, xxtra, or side. There is a $2 upcharge for the gluten-free crust.

They also have a handy order tracker so you get a better idea of when to expect it to be delivered: 

After we returned home, I contacted the company to learn more about their dough, their process, & other gluten-free offerings:

Thanks for your email. We have been offering gluten free crusts for years now. We are constantly testing to try to improve the taste, quality and overall presentation of the crust. The crust is a gluten free crust that comes with its own pan. The training of staff on this process is detailed to prevent cross contamination. We use separate utensils when preparing and cutting the pizza. We have different gluten free items at different times. Currently we do have a gluten free cookie that we will be offering. These items do go fast. We expect to have more gluten free products very soon.

This is my first weekend back in the area since the ball, and I'm looking forward to grabbing another :) 

For tipping purposes, you may want to note that $1 of the $3 delivery charge goes to the driver.  

Happy eating!