Back in 2010, all Fifth Group Restaurants began offering ‘set’ gluten-free menus making them one of Atlanta’s first restaurant groups to institute a company-wide initiative for catering to guests with food intolerance. The gluten-free menus can be found online and onsite at each of their seven restaurants: South City Kitchen (two locations), La Tavola, Ecco, The Original El Taco, Alma Cocina, and Lure.

This move set Fifth Group Restaurants apart from the pack because they recognized the need and made it a priority to serve those on a gluten-free diet before it became a fad diet trend. Cuisine choices from their restaurants include: Southern, Italian, European, Mexican, Latin American, and seafood. A little something for everyone and the gluten-free choices have been vetted by the chefs.

I recently had the chance to chat with Chef Chip Ulbrich of South City Kitchen Midtown about their gluten-free menu and here is what I learned:

How do you come up with the gluten-free items offered on your menu?

• “I basically try to take items that we already have on the menu that are already gluten free or can be easily adapted to be so and go from there. The idea of sensitivity to allergens is always in the forefront of my mind when creating dishes, so we don’t have an overabundance of dishes that are inherently glutinous.”

Share your thoughts on the importance of providing gluten-free options to your guests.

• “It’s important to be able to offer at least some items that can be prepared or are by concept gluten free because it is so prevalent. The reality is that there’s a big segment of our market that is either sensitive or intolerant.”

What is your favorite gluten-free item to prepare?

• “I love red quinoa! In salads or as breakfast cereal. Popped sorghum is also fun and different.”

Share a gluten-free recipe or a substitution trick

• Substitution trick: “I use sorghum flour or rice flour to dredge fish or as part of the coating on fried fish or chicken.”

South City Kitchen also offers Pure Knead’s hamburger buns for their burgers and sandwiches. The last time I was there for bunch, I ordered barbecue eggs benedict on toasted gluten-free buns and it was delicious.

The next time you are looking for a place to enjoy a tasty gluten-free meal, stop by one of Fifth Group Restaurants and know the utmost care is taken to ensure your meal is prepared safely. Have you been to one of Fifth Group Restaurants? Which one is your favorite?