MANHATTAN — Mario Batali is offering gluten-free pasta dishes at his Chelsea restaurant Del Posto, the blog Well and Good NYC reported.
The Italian Michelin star restaurant co-owned by celebrity chefs Batali, and Joe and Lidia Bastianich, now has a gluten-free alternative for almost every pasta meal. It’s an appetizing option for people who avoid gluten, a wheat protein that can aggravate the stomach.
Gluten-free meals have long been a consistent choice on the Del Posto menu. But the eatery decided to expand the gluten-free meals as more people have diets that limit the protein, the restaurant’s executive chef Mark Ladner told the food website.
People on a gluten-free diet typically eliminate pasta, bread, crackers and other food that contain wheat, barley or rye. The diet is necessary for people with celiac disease, a gluten allergy.
Although a small portion of the population actually has the disease, the diet has become increasingly popular as a way to handle gastrointestinal problems.
Ladner told the food website that the gluten-free pasta looks similar to its regular pasta.
Batali has hosted a number of television shows, including as co-host to ABC’s The Chew. Joe Bastianich is a judge on Fox’s MasterChef. His mother, Lidia, is host of Lidia’s Italy.
