Gluten Free Pizza Now at DeRango's on Douglas

When the moon hits your eye like a big, gluten-free pizza pie, that means you're at DeRango's on 3-Mile and Douglas.

Manager Ralph CiFuno said the restaurant has been providing gluten-free options for pizza, pasta and even a variety of beer for about a year now. Not only did customers start asking for them, but one of his friends has celiac disease and let CiFuno know how many people would love to eat gluten-free crust topped by DeRango's signature homemade sauce.

"He was talking about gluten-free pasta and pizza crusts, but I knew we probably couldn't make the crust here because you have to be so careful with contamination from anything made with flour," CiFuno explained.

So, he talked to a representative at Roma Foods, the restaurant's supplier, to have crusts delivered, and the rest is pizza history.

Celiac disease is a genetic disorder of gluten intolerance in the intestines, which is usually found in grains like wheat, rye and barley. According to the Celiac.com website, 1 in 133 Americans of predominantly Northern European descent have celiac disease.

Server Nancy Rangel said she gets a few customers a week asking for the gluten-free crust.

"We top it with the same homemade sauce that people love and the toppings they choose so the crust is really the only thing that's changed," she said.

CiFuno said kitchen staff was trained on the proper handling of the gluten-free crust: washing their hands thoroughly before touching it, using a designated prep area and making sure certain pans and utensils are used only for the gluten-free pizza.

"Everyone was great about it; they understood," he said.

Gluten-free pizzas are selling at around 50 a week, but the pasta - which comes only as penne with choices of sauces and meats - isn't doing as well. CiFuno thinks volumes on both will increase once he starts using new menus that alert diners to the option.

"We're using the marquis out front to advertise, but people will get the information, too, at their table on the new menus," he said.