Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a long time since Samantha and Mike Garbose have been able to truly enjoy the same pizza together. Ever since Mike discovered an intolerance to gluten in 2019, their pizza dates have resulted in this married couple ordering a \u201chis\u201d and \u201chers\u201d situation with separate pies.<\/p>\n
Being relegated to the gluten-free alternative is not a fate Mike begrudges: \u201cWe both agree that each of us is totally entitled to the food that our diets and preferences warrant.\u201d Then again, the contrast in quality between standard wheat-flour crusts and those made with gluten-free ingredients can be hard to ignore.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt places that have both gluten[-full] and gluten-free pizza,\u201d says Samantha, \u201cusually I get something that looks phenomenal and Mike gets something that looks like a cardboard circle \u2014 and then I feel guilty about that.\u201d <\/p>\n
But there would be no guilt tonight at Barclay Pies. Not once the first gluten-free pizza arrives at our table, its airy puff of a crust crisped around the edges to a tawny snap that beckons from under a crown of molten mozzarella topped with sweet summer corn, bacon, and chili peppers. Another pie arrives, this one zesty with a layer of red sauce bursting with bright California tomatoes and a whiff of oregano; fistfuls of cup-and-char pepperoni rounds are scattered over the top, then finished with honey and freshly ripped basil.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh wow, that does not even look gluten-free!” says Samantha. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s been my exact reaction every time I\u2019ve visited this pizzeria in Cherry Hill<\/a>, initially with my daughter, Alice, who has celiac disease. Barclay also makes standard pizzas with glutinous flour, but it has generated a serious buzz within the gluten-free community over the course of its first year \u2014 for good reason. <\/p>\n Barclay Pies was launched last summer by friends Thomas \u201cTJ\u201d Hunton, a regional director of operations for Shake Shack, and Daniel Romero, a vice president in engineering for Aramark. Its remarkably good pizzas, careful protocols to avoid cross-contamination, and outgoing hospitality have helped change the narrative about what\u2019s possible in a fast-casual setting with gluten-free options that go beyond just the pies.<\/p>\n Indeed, a mozzarella stick was the first bite to turn heads at our table. A safe-to-eat mozzarella stick is rare and coveted in the gluten-free community because deep-fryers are common culprits for cross-contamination. Not only are Barclay\u2019s fryers completely gluten-free, these delicately hand-breaded sticks encrusted in potato starch, rice flour, and gluten-free panko crumbs are perfectly crisped. There is also a hunk of milky fresh mozzarella inside (another rarity: most use standard low-moisture varieties) that offered hot cheese-pull satisfaction from one side of the table to the next. <\/p>\n The chicken wings were also superb, tender and juicy from a dry brine and par-bake, sealed inside a sheer crust of egg whites and rice flour, available in several good flavors, from punchy Buffalo sauce shaded with the richness of brown butter to lemon-pepper that sparkled in its craggy breading. <\/p>\n My encounters on previous visits with boneless chicken tenders were far less inspired, including some overly brined meat so rubbery they gave me a refund. But I was heartened by a 360-degree turnaround on this latest visit. The team recently reworked their recipe, and the final the results \u2014 expertly verified by Hunton\u2019s 6-year-old daughter, Amelia \u2014 are stellar: a perfectly tender baton of meat in a flavorful crust ready for various house-made dips. The tangy ranch with buttermilk and fresh herbs was a favorite, though classic honey mustard also did the trick. <\/p>\n But pizza, of course, is the restaurant\u2019s prime magnet. The duo decided to tackle the daunting gluten-free genre because Romero\u2019s wife, Julie, has celiac disease. Making a gluten-free pizza worth the trouble is a major challenge. Gluten is<\/a> a key protein found in certain grains \u2014 namely wheat, barley, and rye \u2014 that provides the structure to hold gas bubbles during fermentation and fosters a chewy, complex crust<\/a>. Until recently, most GF versions of pizza I\u2019ve tasted, whether made from alternative flours or cauliflower \u2014 and commonly outsourced in restaurants to avoid cross-contamination \u2014 have been less than exciting, with textures ranging between pressboard and Styrofoam.<\/p>\n Barclay\u2019s gluten-free pies are not that. The Romeros worked for nine months to perfect a high-hydration crust that puffs like a supple focaccia. With a light dusting of cornmeal adding a delicate bottom crunch and the Detroit-style crispy frico cheese band around the edges, the pie achieves textural contrasts this gluten-free dough itself would not otherwise form. The pan-based format is helpful to prevent cross-contamination, but having grown up in the Midwest, where deep-crusted pies are common, I found these to be completely satisfying platforms for Barclay\u2019s toppings. I was impressed by the mushroom pie that blends thin-shaved creminis with caramelized onions over a white base of seasoned heavy cream and mozzarella. I also enjoyed the locally inspired combo of fennel sausage, broccoli, and zesty cherry pepper hoagie relish, the addition of Cooper Sharp<\/a> lending the base of molten mozzarella some extra South Philly flow. <\/p>\n I appreciate that Barclay is continuously tweaking its recipes, increasing the size of its fresh sausage chunks from the dried-out crumbles I found early on to the porky nuggets that dotted the roasted pepper-sausage pie we ordered on a traditional gluten-full round. That pizza had a perfectly fine, well-developed crust that was solid by neighborhood pizzeria standards. But the gluten-free pies are the draw, special enough to merit a regionwide pilgrimage.<\/p>\n Samantha Garbose agreed: \u201cUsually when we get gluten-free food together, I\u2019m pretending it\u2019s good, but I actually thought [Barclay\u2019s] gluten-free pizza was better than the one that had gluten.\u201d<\/p>\n Barclay\u2019s sales numbers are starting to bear this out. Hunton says they initially anticipated only selling 10 gluten-free pies a day to supplement their traditional pizza sales. But gluten-free pies now account for a third of the pizzas they bake. <\/p>\n \u201cBy the end of the first month we realized we\u2019d really struck a chord,\u201d says Hunton. \u201cThere\u2019s a market need for a pizzeria that was truly inclusive.\u201d Barclay also offers vegan pizzas with a cheese substitute made in house from oat milk and tofu, deliberately avoiding nuts, an allergen ingredient commonly used in vegan cheese. <\/p>\n There\u2019s still a catch. One reason this dough is so good is because it uses Caputo Fioreglut, an Italian gluten-free flour blend<\/a> that contains wheat starch whose gluten proteins have been removed. Fioreglut performs closer to wheat flour than most GF blends and is considered safe for most celiacs, but not for those who have an allergy to wheat. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to be pizza for everyone and we\u2019re not fully there quite yet,\u201d concedes Romero. \u201cBut that\u2019s our north star.\u201d <\/p>\n The past few years have been a vibrant era for local experimentation with better gluten-free pizza alternatives, though few compare to Barclay Pies\u2019 crust. Emmy Squared<\/a> has long made gluten-free versions of its standard Detroit pies in Queen Village. Corio<\/a> in University City<\/a> has been working on a potato-based dough for thin-crusted counterparts to its Neapolitan-style pizzas. Gluten-free pasta specialist Settantatr\u00e9<\/a> has mastered an airy gluten-free focaccia base for the tomato pies it sells at local farmers market stands and its Berwyn market-cafe<\/a>. Perhaps the best gluten-free pizza I\u2019ve ever eaten was created by 13th Street Cocktails<\/a> caterer Aaron Gordon for the exceptional pan pies at his Agricola<\/a> in Passyunk Square, but this quirky corner pizza atelier is not a reliable source for frequent orders, limited now to only private charity events (but perhaps reopening to the public this fall).<\/p>\n Hunton and Romero have drawn on their professional experiences to quickly build Barclay Pies into the region\u2019s most accessible hub for gluten-free pizza satisfaction. With its 50 indoor seats, 25 on its patio, and a bright pink-and-green makeover for the former Seasons Pizza<\/a>, they\u2019ve created a pleasant dining space with user-friendly systems for a cheerful and well-trained staff to operate efficiently while the owners, who are frequently there, also retain their day jobs. (Hunton, a Garces alum, still oversees operations at 70 Shake Shacks from New York to Virginia.)<\/p>\n Most importantly, gluten-free customers<\/a> can take comfort in knowing protocols have been put in place to minimize risks of cross-contamination. The gluten-free dough is mixed first thing each morning in a separate GF-only mixer, prepped at a separate station, run through a dedicated conveyor belt oven, and finished at a separate station with color-coded cutters and spatulas. The gluten-free pies are also proofed and cooked in round pans to clearly distinguish them from the gluten-full Detroit pies that are cooked in square pans. <\/p>\n While there will never be 0% risk as long as products with gluten are made in house, and that may not suit those who are especially sensitive, my daughter ate there three times without incident. Hunton and Romero also strongly believe there is a broader community benefit to offering both options, as opposed to being entirely gluten-free. This way groups of diners with diverse needs and preferences can feel seen and safely served together without being singled out.<\/p>\n This works especially well for the Garboses. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d prefer to go to a restaurant that has great options for both of us,\u201d says Mike. \u201cLife is too short for either of us to eat bad food.\u201d <\/p>\n But in the case of Barclay Pies, their \u201chis and hers\u201d pizza night had a different, guilt-free twist: \u201cIt\u2019s been so long since Mike and I got to actually enjoy the same pizza,” says Samantha. \u201cThis was really a thrill.\u201d<\/p>\n Barclay Pies <\/p>\n 450 Marlton<\/a> Pike, Cherry Hill Township, N.J., 856-712-1900; barclaypies.com<\/a><\/p>\n Open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, until 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n Pizzas, $19-$24 (plus $4 for gluten-free crust).<\/p>\n Wheelchair accessible. <\/p>\n Menu is almost entirely gluten-free. Standard pizzas with gluten-full flour are made in the same facility but extreme care and protocols are taken to prevent cross-contamination.<\/p>\n BYOB. There are several excellent liquor stores nearby. The restaurant also provides good-quality stemless plastic drinkware.<\/p>\n Menu Highlights: Gluten-free pizzas; mozzarella sticks; wings; chicken tenders. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min It\u2019s been a long time since Samantha and Mike Garbose have been able…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":573775,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[242135,103,61,60,446],"class_list":["post-573774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-barclay-pies-gluten-free-pizza-cherry-hill","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}