Who’s GlutenTrip?

Let’s discover a great project: GlutenTrip!

Today I am very pleased to have got the chance to meet and interview a special woman: Anne-Sophie Van Eslande, founder of the beautiful project GlutenTrip.

Anne-Sophie is a vibrant, smart and funny Frenchy who has created the first and only Trip Advisor for the gluten free foodies!

A platform where we can exchange about our favourite gluten free places all around the world and share our opinions, how great is that!

I let you discover more about GlutenTrip t in my interview to Anne-Sophie, while enjoying a delicious gluten free lunch at Noglu in Paris!

Chiara: Why gluten free ?
Anne-Sophie: I have been diagnosed gluten sensitive 8 years ago.

At that time doctors in general didn’t know very much about this topic so it was an epic struggle for me to find out the cause of my 10 kg weight loss…

One day I went to see Professor Cellier at the hospital George Pompidou and after some accurate tests, he said I had a latent celiac disease.

I got my ADN tested to see if I had the celiac genes (HLA-DQ2 et HLA-DQ8) which I don’t, so they said I suffered from gluten sensitivity.

Chiara: Why did you come up with the idea of GlutenTrip? It is such a great project, congratulations!!

Anne-Sophie : Thank you very much J !!

I just couldn’t take it anymore to travel with some gluten free bread in my suitcase. So I decided to create a simple and clear platform where you can easily find all the hotels and restaurants all over the world that propose gluten free food. You can easily spot those that are 100% gluten free and suitable for celiac thanks to the crossed grain logo. GlutenTrip is intended to bring together people who are celiac, sensitive to gluten, gluten intolerant or just gluten free lovers and share their finds and opinios about the places they visited. The objective of GlutenTrip is to exchange and help each other.

Chiara: What’s the best gluten free dish that you have ever eaten?

Anne-Sophie: I miss eating Italian food so much! To me it is the best in the world. To answer to your question, I would say with no doubt the lasagne made by Senza Gluten in New York.

Chiara: What’s your favourite gluten free restaurant in the world?

Anne-Sophie: As per the above, it is Senza Gluten in New York, a 100% gluten free restaurant that makes delicious Italian food : bruschetta, ravioli, lasagne…it’s gluten free Heaven ! Besides the owners are very aware of celiac disease and what it means to people. They take care at selecting all of the ingredients so that there is zero risk of contamination with gluten. This issue is taken very seriously in the United States. When you go to a restaurant, you are asked if you have any allergy or intolerance to food. Unfortunately this is still not the case in France.

Another place that I like very much is Risotteria Melloti in New York that makes excellent risotto.

Chiara : Who is the person you would love to share a gluten free meal and why?

Anne-Sophie : I am very into the issue of the intolerances caused by food, so I would say the renown Professor Christophe Cellier, head of the Service of « Hépato-gastro-entérologie et Endoscopie Digestive » at the European Hospital Georges Pompidou. I would love to talk to him about celiac disease and how, in the XXI century, gluten has become such an enemy for over a million people around the world.
Chiara: If you should choose a restaurant for someone you love, what would it be?

Anne-Sophie: I will go for sure to Noglu in the 3rd arrondissement in Paris, the Japanese chef creates delicious 100% gluten free dishes, he is a true artist! I recently had some turkey marinated with soya sauce. It was also lactose-free. So delicious!
Chiara: What’s your next challenge?

Anne-Sophie: My next challenge is to build a loyal community that is willing to help and give support to people when they discover they have celiac disease. Promote GlutenTrip also. This is my every day’s challenge. I care to give visibility to the 100% gluten free restaurant around the world in particular, so that celiac people can travel safe and happy.
Chiara: Gluten free is….

Anne-Sophie: Gluten free is vital