Review of Anything Sweet & More Cafe

They have GF food but I would assume everything is cross contaminated. I didn’t eat but stopped in to ask in case I wanted to in the future. The person I spoke with showed me the menu, which had several options, but when I asked about the kitchen she laughed and said “yeah everything is cooked in the same place”. I would not eat here for that reason

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

Other Characteristics

• Good for lunch

Hello Abby. Well, I certainly wish I knew when you "stopped in" & who it was you "spoke" to. Apparently, it was someone not very well informed or thought you were just a fad. Perhaps you will be kind enough to email me & let me know who it was so that should that person still work for me, I can educate her (a description will do if you didn't get a name). You see I'm frustrated because gluten free is the first thing I teach my servers, nevertheless, they all seem to "come and get me out of the kitchen" when people ask about it. I KNOW I wouldn't have told you "everything is made in the same place". Although, we do only have one kitchen. Many places do, have only one. So, I'm not going to lecture you BUT if you are that sensitive to gluten, eating anywhere other than home may not be an option for you. I'm not going to ask that this review be removed because I'm going to say some things to you that others need to read. First, I don't think anyone should review a restaurant that they haven't actually eaten in. I know you're just being a good Samaritan and looking out for others but really all this review is doing is limiting the options gluten free eaters have while visiting Winterset & that's just sad. I have many, many 5-star reviews. I have them because I actually CARE about what I serve & I like being able to accommodate people who need a special diet. That should have been your heads up to question the information you were given about our gluten free options. You see ANYTHING in my Cafe can be made gluten free. ANYTHING. All you have to do is ASK. I serve mainly sandwiches & at the very top of the menu it says we have gluten free bread available--ANY sandwich/panini. I also use romaine lettuce which means ANY sandwich can be made into a lettuce wrap. Most of the soups are gluten free. Know why? Because potatoes are wonderful thickeners. We list those by the way, which soups are gluten free. We always have our signature tomato (yup, gluten free). I also serve frittata; not only is this dish Italian, but it's also gluten free. We have salad, cottage cheese, applesauce, & chips...all gluten free because I read the labels. We even have a gluten free topping to put on the salad. Speaking of salad, all of our dressings are gluten free--I make sure of it (not that you wouldn't want only our State Fair Blue-ribbon winner for your salad). I have a DEDICATED panini maker/griddle for gluten free. When I make you a panini or a sandwich, the first thing I do is wipe down my sandwich cart (with bleach) then I make that gluten free sandwich on a Separate, Dedicated plate. Yup, doesn't touch the cleaned sandwich cart. It goes from the plate to the panini maker, from the panini maker using a CLEAN spatula back to the plate where it is cut with a CLEAN knife before being put onto a plate for you with the clean spatula. It takes longer but it's safe. I use separate pots & pans for everything I make, I don't need to "reuse" any because I have a dishwasher. Want pasta, no problem, we have it & it's gluten free (and not made from Quinoa). German Creamed Chicken? Chocolate Rubbed Ribs? Meatloaf? Murder Mystery Dinner--yeah, it's been done gluten free as well. We offer a dessert, a peanut butter "cupcake"--totally gluten free, made when you order it. The flour? It lives in another room. There is a door & a wall between it and any gluten free food. I wash my hands constantly. I have to, I don't like being sticky. I don't think anyone does...well maybe small children. Am I cluttered, unfortunately, Yes. I'm all about the food. Am I slow, Yes because it's made to order--SAFELY. I hope this clears some questions up for you. Let me know if I can answer any more of your questions. In the meantime, I invite you to come in & dine with me.