Feel free to leave a comment below.
In addition to publishing “Sweet Tea & Wheat-Free,” I maintain an artist site of my most recent paintings at https://celestesagi.wixsite.com/artist.
I have also been a contributor to “The Sweet Potato”, the Sustainable Food and Farming blog of the Carolinas, produced by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.
I am a current member of a diverse network of writers called the Triangle Area Freelancers (TAF). If you are a North Carolina-based writer, or in need of a writer’s expertise, contact this organization.
The content and photos on this site are property of the author and may not be reproduced or duplicated without permission.
News & Updates:
As of August 2019, “Sweet Tea & Wheat-Free” has had more than 120,000 views. Thank you, Readers, from the bottom of my Gluten-Free heart!
My husband and I relocated to North Carolina – from Nashville, TN to Chapel Hill, NC – in August 2013. In January 2017, we moved to Hillsborough, NC.
Regardless of the restaurant location, it is my sincere hope that posting these GF options will help you feel empowered to seek out healthy GF meals for yourself and your families.
Sweet Tea & Wheat-Free 
Hi Celeste! What a great job you’re doing:) There’s definitely a strong interest in gluten-free foods and dining in this area. More and more people simply can’t tolerate it. I hope you can hook up with some of the gluten-free organizations in the Triangle and have them link to this site. Awesome. Keep it up!
Christa Gala
Thanks so much, Christa! I appreciate the encouragement. I am getting such a kick out of your daily posts at http://cwgala.wordpress.com/, too. Most recently laughed out loud at the comment on Jorts. Thanks for keeping us grinnin’!
Now if you can only provide Red Sox updates. Looks great!!
Thank you! Nothing new to report on the Sox, but when you go to Fenway Park, it’s safe to eat the Caramel Corn! 😉
What an elegant site this is! – Also, you make it fun to search and find gluten-free dishes. You know, I think your recommendations and reviews could benefit not just the wheat-intolerant – but those of us with more “liberal” leanings, too…;-) Much healthier foods, that’s for sure! I look forward to sampling one (or two, or three) of these restaurants when I drop down to visit in the spring.
Hey Celeste! Got directed to your website by our friend AD 🙂 I live in Chapel Hill and struggle to find anything other than a salad when eating out! I do, however, know of a few gems around the Chapel Hill area…some that offer GF menus and others than can make it happen! Let me know if you’d like a list of the ones I’ve checked out : )
GF Hugs,
Colie
Hi, Colie. Thanks for saying hi. I welcome your success stories for dining in Chapel Hill. Feel free to include your shortlist in a comment here or email me directly at celestebeck – at – gmail – dot – com. Looking forward to checking them out! Many thanks.
Hello! I just wanted to say hello and thank you for publishing this blog! I’ve been GF for a year and tend to eat at the same places due to comfort. I am definitely going to check out the restaurants you’ve written about. Thanks, again!
Thanks for your note. I hear you! It is difficult to navigate into unknown food territory sometimes. I’m glad to help. I really believe that each time one of us asks “Can you tell me what’s Gluten-Free on the menu?”, it’s helping to raise awareness that will benefit us all. Feel free to share your experiences with us when you visit these places, too.
Thanks so much for your restaurant reviews. I’d love to see a GF review of Dos Taquitos Centro in Downtown Raleigh if you get a chance. I keep meaning to ask the owner if the corn tortillas are gluten-free. I generally don’t have problems after eating their corn tortilla quesadillas. The food there is just great!
Thanks so much for your note! I’ve heard great things about Dos Taquitos. I hope to visit soon and do some GF reconnaissance for you!
Hi, I really enjoy reading your blog, but just wanted to point out that you mention that MSG contains gluten. MSG actually does not contain gluten, so unless you actually have a problem eating MSG, you can eat it if you are trying to avoid gluten. I hope this helps.
The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center website confirms MSG as a “Safe to Consume” additive (http://www.celiacdisease.net/gluten-free-diet). I found a few other websites encouraging Celiac patients to avoid MSG (one of these is http://www.celiacdisease.net/gluten-free-diet). I guess there is still room for research and debate and I can take this into account. Multiple sites agree, though, that MSG can have a negative impact on the body’s immune system. As always, take care to select foods based on your own sensitivity. Thank you for your helpful comment!
Celeste:
What a treat to view your blog – is there anything you can’t do?
It’s been only a couple of months since I saw you last, but with all of the good eating you have obviously been doing, I can’t imagine that you’re still the sylph-like creature I last saw – will I be able to recognize you?
Still one of your biggest fans-
Mike
Ha ha. Thanks, Mike! I have been doing some good eating, and have actually LOST a couple of pounds for it. Who needs gluten anyway? 😉 Hope you are doing well. I know you are a foodie, too, so feel free to pass along any of your favorite restaurant recommendations. Would love to hear them.
This good-looking, well-organized blog should be a boon for local folks who must live wheat-free.
I applaud your efforts to get all restaurants to answer questions about the ingredients in their food. Keep encouraging them to do so.
Thanks so much for saying so, Kelley! I really feel that this dream of ingredient transparency is attainable. Future generations will ask us, in disbelief, “Really? There was a time when people didn’t know what they were eating?!” Until then, we’ll keep asking good questions.
Hi Celeste,
Your food blog is great! It is parallel to what I’ve started to do with a Facebook page for Gluten Free folks in the Triangle, called Triangle Gluteneers. This started when my friend started a small email community for three of us with wheat/gluten intolerances. Then I decided there must be more of us out there and I wanted to convince restaurant and bakery owners that they should cater to us. So I started the Facebook page to gather a following to show to the business owners that there would be support.
So far I don’t have many fans, but I’m sure it will grow. Do you know if there is a way that your updated blog posts could feed into the Facebook page? If you don’t I’ll sign up for the RSS feed and post them myself.
Anyway just wanted you to know your blog and resources will be echoed on the Triangle Gluteneers Facebook page.
If we all work together, we will all have lots of great places to go eat!
In solidarity,
Kelly
Durham, NC
Hi, Kelly! Thank you so much for finding me and connecting. I agree wholeheartedly about working together toward this cause. I just commented on your FB page and will add your group to my resources list. Congrats on starting what I’m sure will be a dynamic group of GF Foodies! Best, Celeste
You can also try Paradise India Cuisine, http://www.paradisenc.com/ for Gluten free Entrees.
Terrific! Thanks for the tip. I’m looking forward to visiting there soon!
I just stumbled upon this blog and know I will find it immensely helpful in the future as my partner and I don’t eat wheat (or really any grains) but still love eating out!
I have to suggest that you try Kitchen in Chapel Hill (http://kitchenchapelhill.com/kitchen/home) if you haven’t already. Their menu has a lot of grain/wheat free options, plus they can tailor things for you as needed. They serve a great calamari dish that isn’t breaded, and have many small and large plates that are naturally gluten free. A plus– all but one of their desserts are wheat free!
Hi, Meg. I just returned from a trip and saw your note. I have not been to Kitchen in Chapel Hill yet, but am very excited to try it on your enthusiastic recommendation. I’m especially looking forward to GF desserts! Thank you so much!
Hi, Meg. I wanted to let you know that my folks visited Kitchen on your recommendation and they LOVED it. They had the lemon ricotta cheesecake for dessert, too. I look forward to going there soon.
hi – love your blog and congrats on your move! i’ve produced some wonderfully tasty gluten-free spicy relishes and would love to send you a sample. you can check out my website for more details as it’s an heirloom recipe and made with all natural ingredients.
send me an email with your postal details and i’ll send some your way!
Hello, Samantha (aka, “Condiment Queen” – I just read your About Page at http://www.cottagelanekitchen.com)! Thank you so much for the kind comment, and for offering the opportunity to sample your recipes. I will reply to your info page to share my contact info. Keep up the great work, and talk to you soon!
Saw your review of Simply Crepes and unfortunately my experience was not as good. I went and ordered the Corned Beef and Sauerkraut Crepe and inquired to the wait staff what would need to be modified to be gluten free and the waitress looked at me like a deer in the headlights. She asked another waiter who gave the same look and then proceeded to go speak to the chef. When she came back the answer I got was “well the chef said she “thinks” the russian dressing has no flur and “should” be safe” Needless to say not a glowing review of the staff understanding of Gluten Free.
Hi, Mark. Thanks for your recent report. As for the russian dressing (which sometimes contains Worcestershire sauce, which is not GF) issue, when in doubt, steer clear. Hoping the staff will respond to your visit by checking up on their GF resources!
Hi There Celeste!
I was wondering if you could do a huge favor for us at Centro (formerly Dos Taquitos Centro). As you may know, we are updating our name and brand (same ownership) With that, we are changing our website from http://www.dostaquitoscentro.com to and need to reestablish our search results ranking.
Is there anyway you could change the link you have on your site to http://www.centroraleigh.com instead of the old one? It would be such a huge help!
Thanks for the awesome article and love.
Gratefully,
Keith
Marketing Director
Centro
919.835.3593
Do you have smoothies, if so, what flavors.
Hi, Dayna. You must be responding to a restaurant post here. I don’t personally have smoothies, though I could really go for one right now! If you are curious about whether a certain location caries an item, feel free to check out their website or call them. Whenever I call a restaurant in advance to ask about gluten-free options, they are usually very happy to help. Good luck finding the smoothie of your dreams!
Hi Celeste!
Your blog is a great resource for people seeking GF options when dining out. We would love it if you came to Four Square Restaurant in Durham! We often have guests with special dietary needs dine with us and we are more than happy to prepare a delicious meal for them. We can often adjust things on the current menu or create new dishes based on what the chef picked up at the farmer’s market or from his own garden.
We hope to see you soon!
Hi, Susan.
Thank you so much for reading my blog, and for reaching out to those with special dietary needs. I just looked at your website and am so impressed with the menu offerings and the Four Square philosophy. When I am back in the Triangle Area (I recently moved to Nashville, TN), I hope to visit your restaurant and sample some of your dishes made from the bountiful farmer’s market harvest! Many thanks and keep up the good work!
Fantastic! We hope to see you soon! Please be sure to mention your blog and chatting with me when you make your reservation. Thanks!
Hello! Your photographs of Local Yogurt are fantastic! I’ll be hosting a charity event there this Sunday, and am putting together posters for them to put in their windows to promote the event. Would you mind if I used two of your photos of their bowls of frozen yogurt just for this project? Thanks! -Lucy, Duke University, Class of 2013
Hello, Lucy! Thank you for visiting my blog, and for following protocol regarding use of photographs. I will email you off-blog to respond. Best wishes for your event!
Hello Celeste Sagi! Your photographs do look amazing of Local Yogurt! We have a nice accommodation at the coast of Old Acre, Akko Israël with a view on the mediterranean Sea and Haifa. Please consider writing an article on your site about Akkommodation! And maybe come stay some day to take breathtaking pictures of the picturesque narrow lanes of Old Akko! See http://www.akkommodation.com for more info! Thanks
Thank you for visiting my site, Adel. I appreciate your comment. I have had the good fortune to visit Akko and I agree that it is incredibly picturesque. I will keep Akkommodation (a very clever name) in mind for when we travel to Israel next.