Owner Varouj Kachician (center) poses for a photo with his employees Millie and Stephanie at The Bakery by Indulge Right in Clovis, which has become a haven for gluten-free eaters. Photo by Sarah Fries

Whether it’s celiac disease, allergies, intolerances or a health problem, many people are now avoiding gluten in their diets. This creates a challenge for the restaurant industry to make safe food for all customers.

The gluten free diet is nothing new, but social media has amplified the practice, associating it with a healthy lifestyle and leading more people to discover an intolerance for the ingredient.

The U.S. gluten-free food market is expected to double in the next seven years. In 2024, it was estimated at $7.43 billion, and is expected to rise to $8.12 billion in 2025 and $15.45 billion in 2032, according to Fortune Business Insight.

 

Know your enemy

What is gluten exactly? It is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation website.

Local restaurants have started introducing some gluten friendly menu items. But in order for a restaurant to claim something is 100% gluten free with no possibility of cross contamination, they must get registered with a third party, such as the Gluten Free Food Program.

Once registered, the program will educate restaurateurs and food companies on the requirements, which could include separate friers, ovens and even a different cooking space. After that, the Gluten Free Food Program will come in periodically to test for gluten in their products.

 

Free to indulge

One Central Valley entrepreneur has been offering gluten free goodies to the community for more than three years. The Bakery by Indulge Right has two locations in Fresno and Clovis that are 100% gluten free.

Around 2010, Indulge Right Owner Varouj Kachichian cut gluten out of his diet and noticed a huge impact in his joint pain and inflammation.

“I started having seizures in my 20s and nobody knew why. But there’s a direct correlation between gluten and seizures,” Kachichian said.

According to the National Library of Medicine, gluten is associated with four well-characterized conditions — celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), dermatitis herpetiformis and gluten ataxia.

Kachichian has been in the restaurant and bakery industry for over 30 years. He previously owned a bakery in Fresno, and customers who knew he was gluten free began asking him when he was going to offer such products.

“Truth be told I did not want to go back into the bakery business because of the crazy hours,” Kachichian said. “One day I had like four of my past customers saying ‘so when are you going to open up a gluten free place?’”

 

Back to the bakery

He decided to give it a shot after realizing he already had the necessary flours that he blends himself, caramel and chocolate sauces and some sugar free items. Kachichian found a spot at Shaw and Marks avenues and opened the bakery three years ago.

“We get people now from all over the Valley, driving an hour and a half. We get people from the coast, we’ve got some customers that come from San Diego when they are passing through,” Kachichian said.

Last year, Kachichian opened a second location in Clovis at Clovis and Herndon avenues. The cafe offers savory lunch items, such as sliders and sandwiches. They also sell coffee, bakery items and breakfast items such as waffles, toast and quiches.

The Fresno location has savory items that are “more of a grab and go,” Kachichian said. In Clovis, “you can sit and enjoy it,” he added.

 

More to come

Kachichian will ring in the fall with seasonal items and some menu changes, introducing new items that customers have requested such as tuna and chicken salad sandwiches.

He hopes to try out supplying to other bakeries and restaurants here in the Valley so gluten free people can feel included when dining out. Kachichian said he needs to work out the logistics on keeping it completely gluten free since it’s going to be in a gluten environment.

Kachichian said that his favorite part about owning the gluten free bakery and cafe is the joy in people’s faces.

“That’s the thing, just making their day, giving them all the options they could have without feeling deprived. They feel that joy, that happiness. I think that’s enough,” Kuchachian said.