Growing community demand for safe dining options has led two Illawarra entrepreneurs to launch a dedicated coeliac-safe cafe in Warilla, offering a welcome haven for those with gluten intolerance.
The Boys on Veronica officially opened its doors on Friday, serving exclusively gluten-free food and coffee adjacent to the Illawarra Rehabilitation Clinic. The venture represents a significant commitment to food safety for the region's coeliac community.
From Customer Requests to Full Commitment
Business partners Caleb Cooper and Corey Keating, previously known for operating Bistro on Beaton and Matthew Marcs Cafe in Barrack Heights, made the strategic decision to go completely gluten-free after witnessing increasing customer demand at their previous venues.
"It came along naturally with people just requesting more and more gluten-free options in one of our venues in the past," Mr Keating explained. "It just gradually grew bigger and bigger to the point where it became somewhat unsafe to keep catering to them because you have to be careful of cross-contamination."
The partners took what Mr Keating describes as a risk by transitioning to a fully coeliac-safe establishment. "We decided to take the risk and just go fully coeliac-safe, and it really paid off. We have a huge following because of it and a very loyal customer base, so we've stuck to it."
More Than Just Gluten-Free Food
Interestingly, neither business owner has coeliac disease themselves. Their motivation stems from providing quality options for those who struggle to find decent meals that meet their dietary requirements.
"It's all about catering to people that have a desire or need to actually get nutritional food instead of highly processed, like, crap," Mr Keating stated. "A lot of people with coeliac say 'Food which you see sold in supermarkets and stuff is generally highly processed and super expensive.'"
He emphasised their commitment to both quality and affordability, noting that regular customers often can't tell the difference in the gluten-free offerings. "Our regular eaters still enjoy the food just as much, and most of them don't actually know it's gluten-free."
A Cafe-Bakery Hybrid with Community Support
The Boys on Veronica operates as what Mr Keating describes as a "cafe/bakery hybrid" with an innovative approach to gluten-free dining.
"We make all our own breads and everything like that, we do offer that for sale, and we will be selling baked goods, sweets, savoury, little bakery-style pizzas and things like that," he detailed. "We have that side of it, and we will have a small cafe brunch menu and really high-quality coffee available as well."
The venture received significant support from their landlord, who operates the adjacent Illawarra Rehabilitation Clinic. "He's gone out on an arm and a leg to make this happen for the gluten-free community," Mr Keating acknowledged, noting the difficulty they faced in finding suitable premises over twelve months.
While the full menu isn't yet available as they await final kitchen equipment, the cafe has already begun serving the community, marking another option for gluten-free dining in the Illawarra region alongside recent openings like GlutenFree4U in Warrawong.
