Pizza and beer, hold the gluten: Atlanta’s gluten-free fest debuts Sept. 28
After 15 years of running the Facebook group Gluten Free Atlanta, founder Stephanie Pardue and the Monday Night Brewing team will bring the first Gluten Free Atlanta Fest to the city.
On Sunday, the Grove at Monday Night Brewing in west Midtown will transform into a dedicated gluten-free space. The kitchens and pizza ovens will be cleaned and converted to making gluten-free products, two taps will dispense gluten-free beer and more than 20 vendors will set up shop around the Grove’s expansive outdoor space.
“(The festival) is the first time we’re having any kind of Atlanta recognition of gluten-free,” Pardue said. “So it’s huge to me and to my little group — huge.”
Monday Night Brewing has been a friend to the gluten-free community for about three years now. It started when brewer Tim McDonnell’s wife discovered she had a gluten allergy. McDonnell partnered with a gluten-free malting house to create a beer his wife could continue enjoying, co-owner Joel Iverson said.
Then, Iverson discovered that his son has a gluten allergy, too. Iverson’s son loved his pizza, so he set out to make one that was just as good, sans gluten.
He brought in longtime neighbor and good friend Betsy Metcalf to be the guinea pig. She has celiac disease and is very sensitive to gluten, Iverson said, so if there were even traces left over, she would be able to tell.
Iverson began using Caputo gluten-free flour from Italy as a base for the dough, but part of what makes the difference is baking the pizzas in hot, wood-fired ovens, he said.
Monday Night Brewing began hosting Gluten Freedom nights every few months during the week. The day before, they’d close early to spend time thoroughly cleaning the kitchen of all gluten traces.
It was a popular event, and Iverson said some were so excited to have a gluten-free space that they would thank the staff profusely.
“Just to be normal, not to request this or that, just for things to go smoothly and you’re not disrupting anybody or asking a million questions,” Pardue said. “Just to go have pizza and a beer is amazing.”
But many people couldn’t make it out on a weekday night, especially those coming from outside the Perimeter. With the Grove’s expanded campus, the Gluten Free Festival will also serve as the launch for Monday Night Brewing’s gluten-free pizza truck, which will be open every Saturday and Sunday going forward.
When Iverson and the team decided to take on a gluten-free festival, he reached out to Pardue to ask about sharing the news on her Facebook group and for help finding more gluten-free vendors.
Pardue began the group as a resource for metro Atlanta’s gluten-free community. It’s a space where more than 5,000 members can share inclusive restaurant experiences in the area, menu items they enjoy and stellar food products.
For many people, a gluten intolerance goes beyond just a dietary preference. It can make a person sick, even if they aren’t diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestines when gluten is eaten.
Pardue said she’s always wondering in the back of her head if she’ll get sick from eating at a restaurant since few places have dedicated gluten-free facilities.
But her Facebook group offers a resource for members to prescreen restaurants and potential outings based on reviews and descriptions — “that’s the biggest thing, it’s just exploring people’s experiences,” she said.
“There’s kind of a base-level anxiety that my gluten-free friends feel,” Iverson said.
The festival is already sparking a lot of interest — Iverson said they expect at least 2,000 people to attend, so they’re borrowing a nearby parking lot at 1575 Northside Drive to accommodate everyone making the trip.
The night before the festival, he said they’ll stay a little late to ensure the whole kitchen is cleaned, which means using a vacuum that can sustain high temperatures to clean out the ovens.
“It’s really indescribable, the way it feels to just be able to walk in and not have to deal with it,” Pardue said. “All I can say is that we’re all really grateful.”
Some of the vendors include Hoagie Bros., Valley’s Bakery, Slay the Gluten, Orchids, Alternative Grains, Cookies on the Corner, the Gluten Free Cupcake and Mediterranea Restaurant & Bakery.
There will be two gluten-free beers on tap, as well as Monday Night Brewing’s regular beers, gluten-free pizza, wings and dips. McDonnell will also be giving a brief talk at the festival about how he created the gluten-free beers.
Attendees are also encouraged to bring gluten-free canned or dry goods to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
The festival is free to attend with food and beverages available for purchase.
EVENT PREVIEW
Gluten Free Atlanta Fest at Monday Night Brewing. Noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Free, with food and drinks available for purchase. 670 Trabert Ave. NW, Atlanta. mondaynightbrewing.com/gluten-free-atlanta-fest
About the Author
Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.
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