Janet Brown
Directory Owner / Manager

Meet the Founder

Towards the end of 1997 I became inexplicably ill for seven months. Up until then I’d enjoyed a relatively healthy childhood, and been extremely fit throughout my teens and 20’s. But I became miserable with a host of debilitating symptoms, and several tests and various health professionals later found us no nearer to discovering the cause. Losing weight at a scary rate, I had my will brought up-to-date, doubtful I was going to survive. Thankfully I was referred to a consultant physician who identified the problem as coeliac disease, meaning major dietary changes but a good recovery.

While I don’t mind being on a gluten free diet if it means keeping well, it’s challenging, especially when eating out. I know what it feels like to hunt down eateries that have a good range of gluten free choices. I know how to unpack the menu, ask questions about how the food is prepared and what it contains. I insist that ‘gluten free’ is written beside my order so that the kitchen staff can make no mistakes. I understand!

That’s why we created Gluten Free Eating Directory eleven years ago. After a trip to Darwin it dawned on me that there wasn’t a national directory to make life on a gluten free diet easier. Plus there was no way to collectively look at gluten free products on the market. Even today, plenty of mainstream restaurant directories allow eateries to tick the ‘gluten free options’ setting, but that’s often only cursory, with the amount of choices routinely disappointing.

Gluten Free Eating Directory only permits carefully chosen businesses that offer considerable gluten free options on our website, taking the guesswork out of it for you. If they’re on our directory they understand gluten free.

With a background as a secondary teacher, university lecturer and school principal, I left the education world behind in 2008 to start this directory. Since that time it’s developed into the largest gluten free directory in Australia. I’m constantly overwhelmed by the commitment of many business owners, whether directly affected by gluten intolerance or not, in providing extensive gluten free food choices. Those of us who are gluten free are more likely to go out as result of having choices provided. We take our friends, family and work mates with us - a win for us and for these terrific businesses that have us in mind!