CeliacLife exists because every other “gluten-free directory” failed us. The reviews were from people without celiac. The lists were stale. The tier system didn't exist. So we started calling kitchens ourselves.
I was diagnosed in 2014 after a year of unexplained inflammation, brain fog, and weight loss that no doctor could place. The blood test came back, the biopsy confirmed it, and overnight I lost the ability to eat at almost every restaurant I'd ever loved.
The first three years were brutal. I'd find a place that said they had GF options, ask all the right questions, eat carefully — and still get glutened. Each reaction cost me 3–4 days of recovery and weeks of intestinal repair.
I tried every directory. I tried every app. They were all the same: lists of restaurants that claimed to be gluten-free, with star ratings from non-celiacs who had no way to evaluate cross-contact. I needed something different.
So in 2022 I started calling kitchens myself. I built a 10-question protocol. I documented every answer. I assigned tiers. I built the directory I needed.
CeliacLife is what came out of that. It's rigorous. It's slow. It's expensive to run. But for the first time in my adult life, I can eat out without anxiety. And so can the 38,000 celiacs who use this directory every month.
— Frank Edmunds, Founder
Five non-negotiables that shape every decision we make.
We launch a city only when we have at least 100 verified restaurants. We will never compromise on coverage by accepting weak verifications.
We publish every protocol answer verbatim — including the awkward ones. If a kitchen says something concerning, you see it.
We never sell tier upgrades. Tier is the protocol answer. Period. A Featured Partner can pay for placement; they cannot pay for a higher tier.
Kitchens change. Chefs leave. Protocols slip. Every listing has a re-verification clock. If it expires, the listing reverts.
Reviews from people without celiac do not predict celiac safety. We tag every reviewer's status, and we weight ratings accordingly.
We will never sell user data. Not to advertisers, not to insurers, not to anyone. We make money from restaurant partnerships and the app subscription, full stop.
We're hiring verification callers, city leads, and engineers in NYC, Miami, and London. We're also always looking for restaurant partners and community submissions.