{"id":4574,"date":"2025-10-17T21:45:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kikkomanusa.com\/foodservice\/?page_id=4574"},"modified":"2025-10-30T17:57:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T17:57:53","slug":"global-flavors-without-the-gluten","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kikkomanusa.com\/foodservice\/global-flavors-without-the-gluten\/","title":{"rendered":"CHEF KEN ORINGER. GLOBAL FLAVORS WITHOUT THE GLUTEN."},"content":{"rendered":"
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CHEF KEN ORINGER. GLOBAL FLAVORS WITHOUT THE GLUTEN.<\/h1>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n A 2025 Kikkoman Kitchen Cabinet<\/u><\/a> inductee, this celebrated Boston chef has discovered that cooking gluten-free can be just as delicious\u2014and even more creative.\n <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ken Oringer\u2019s culinary passport is well-stamped. The James Beard Award\u2013winning Boston chef and restaurateur has built a mini empire of globally inspired concepts\u2014Coppa, Toro, Little Donkey, Uni, Faccia a Faccia, Bar Pallino, and Verveine Caf\u00e9 & Bakery\u2014each one celebrating the flavors of a different corner of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But in 2019, his approach to food took a more personal turn when his 10-year-old daughter, Verveine, was diagnosed with celiac disease. \u201cIt changed everything about how we cook at home,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it made me think differently about how we cook in the restaurants too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The result wasn\u2019t just a change in menus\u2014it became a shared family project. He and Verveine even co-wrote a cookbook together, exploring the joys and challenges of cooking gluten-free with curiosity, creativity, and heart. \u201cIt really opened my eyes,\u201d he says. \u201cWe started looking at food not by what we had to remove\u2014but by how much flavor and texture we could still create.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Making Gluten-Free Second Nature<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always been an allergen-aware restaurant group,\u201d Oringer says, \u201cbut this made it personal. I wanted to make sure that anyone who eats in one of our restaurants\u2014whether they need to avoid gluten or not\u2014can have an incredible meal without compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He\u2019s quick to add that the point isn\u2019t to call attention to it. \u201cWe don\u2019t wave a flag that says gluten-free\u2014we just make great food that happens to be that way. A lot of guests don\u2019t even realize it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2024, Oringer and pastry chef Monica Glass (a longtime collaborator and one of Food & Wine\u2019s Best New Pastry Chefs) opened Verveine Caf\u00e9 & Bakery\u2014a completely gluten-free concept that\u2019s winning hearts without ever leaning on labels. \u201cMonica\u2019s desserts have always been gluten-free,\u201d Oringer says, \u201cand most people didn\u2019t even notice, because they\u2019re just that good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The same goes for his savory dishes. \u201cWe don\u2019t contort recipes to make them gluten-free,\u201d he says. \u201cWe just cook the kind of food we love to eat\u2014bold, flavorful, and naturally satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n The Kikkoman Connection<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to building big, global flavors\u2014especially in his Asian-inspired dishes\u2014Oringer turns to Kikkoman. \u201cKikkoman has been the gold standard for soy sauce forever,\u201d he says. \u201cTheir tamari and gluten-free sauces make it easy to keep the flavor deep and balanced while keeping things safe for people who can\u2019t have gluten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He\u2019s especially enthusiastic about Kikkoman\u2019s expanding range of gluten-free products for foodservice<\/a>, including Gluten-Free Soy Sauce, Tamari, Teriyaki, Hoisin, and Oyster Sauce, plus Gluten-Free Panko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey\u2019ve done it the right way,\u201d Oringer says. \u201cYou lose the gluten, not the quality. That means I can cook the way I always have\u2014with big, bold, global flavors\u2014and serve everyone at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Request a sample to put Kikkoman products to work on your menu.<\/h2>\n

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