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When Cammie Storms was diagnosed with celiac disease, her first reaction was an immediate devastation over the loss of pierogi in her diet. 

“That was the number one thing,” she said. “I remember, I was in Atlanta at the time, and my GI [doctor] said, ‘what is that?’ I’m like, ‘okay, you don’t understand. I’m Polish. My family’s from Philly. They’re from Poland — a pierogi is the best thing on earth. Like, you can’t get better than that.”

Thankfully, Philadelphians like Storms do not have to be pierogiless any longer. Little Walter’s, the modern and cozy Polish restaurant in Kensington, is making its gluten-free night a monthly staple due to popular demand. 

The next installations take place Tuesday, March 17 and Tuesday, April 14. The entire menu will be celiac-friendly with cornbread, kiełbasa, pickled veggies, gołąbki, pierogi and cheesecake.

A neighborly mission

When Chef Michael Brenfleck first opened Little’s Walter’s in summer 2024, creating a gluten-free space was not his intention, but he wanted to honor his heritage with an updated approach to Polish cuisine. 

And yet, even at the very start, the idea for the gluten-free series was there. 

“Our very next door — like share-a-wall — neighbor is gluten free and Polish,” Brenfleck explained. “Even before we opened, [she] had expressed her disappointment that she hasn’t had pierogi in so long, and very much misses them and regularly would ask me when I was going to be doing gluten free pierogi.”

That neighbor? Cammie Storms.

Storms recalls the delight and dread upon learning that she would be living next-door to a Polish restaurant.

“I’m going to be sitting in my backyard, like in my little garden, smelling delicious pierogi being made, wafting through the window,” she said. “That’s kind of horrible and amazing at the same time.” 

According to Storms, she began “harassing Brenfleck a bit,” you know “in a playful way” to advocate for a gluten free pierogi on Little Walter’s menu. Gluten-free advocacy is not new for Storms. She is the director of sales at La Colombe and helped the chain expand its gluten-free menu options. 

Every few months, she would check in with Brenfleck via text: “How about that gluten free pierogi?” She would go into the restaurant, order the non-glutinous items, and ask how the flourless pierogi were coming along. 

Pierogi are part of Storms’ DNA. They have the power to ignite old family memories and transport her back in time. Her grandmother used to make them from scratch when she was a kid. 

“I would get in trouble because I would kind of sneak in and reach out over the counter and try to grab one before she was finished with the whole dinner,” she recalled.  “Then she would kind of smack my hand with a wooden spoon and then threaten to hit my dupa, which is my butt.” 

“It’s one of the only words I remember in Polish,” she laughed, “dupa.”

After around eight months of advocating, Brenfleck finally had an update for Storms. The gluten free pierogi was getting tested.

The art of the gluten free pierogi

A good pierogi dumpling should be soft and delicate, with a nice elasticity and structure. Finding the right recipe for a dough that holds together, but is also the right thickness and texture, is no easy feat. 

“We initially started with just using a one-to-one flour with our regular recipe,” Brenfleck explained. “There’s a good amount of potato and egg and more egg yolk and whey protein that I think gives our pierogi a lot of structure and makes them really delicious. Just doing the one-to-one kind of wasn’t cutting it.”

According to Brenfleck, the initial dough was crumbly and easily fell apart. 

“There was quite an amount of tests and alterations that happened before we got to a point where we’re really happy,” he said. 

What’s more, getting pierogi and other menu recipes right was just one half of the equation. Little Walter’s is a small space. Making sure there is no cross contamination in the kitchen on a regular night would be practically impossible.

“It’s important that people can feel comfortable if they’re going to come here,” Brenfleck said. “I don’t want anyone to be playing Russian Roulette with how they’re eating when they’re eating at my restaurant.”

The solution? One night where the entire kitchen is deep cleaned and completely gluten free. 

“We make bread and pierogi every day, all day,” Brenfleck said. “So we do a very extensive deep clean. I literally bring my staff in when we’re closed, and there’s six of us. We all just go ham on the kitchen.”

“The idea was like, ‘All right, so we clean everything off like there’s no flour anywhere, no traces of flour anywhere,’ he added, “And we did that, and it was bonkers how much interest there was in it.”

“Not a typical night”

Finally, Little Walter’s first gluten-free night was born. Storms had her pierogi back. 

“This thing that you had when you were a child that was so nostalgic, that you love so much was kind of taken from you medically,” she said. To then have a moment, where that beloved food was brought back and in a space where many of the other diners are in the same boat, was magical.

Storms called it “one of the best days of my life.”

“Everyone was smiling and laughing,” she said. “Nobody knew that they were ever going to be able to experience this again. So I think everybody was just kind of absorbing it, taking it in, trying to enjoy the moment and be present.”

Gluten-free night was so popular that Brenfleck decided to bring it back a second time. He noted that there is a “ton of demand for gluten free food.” 

“It was this neat desire to reach those people that really wanted gluten free pierogi and knowing the limitations of our space,” he said.

Storms enjoyed the pierogi so much, she ordered multiple different kinds and stocked up. She brought the orders home, stored them in her freezer, and then popped a couple in her air fryer when she got a craving. 

Now, however, no one needs to be hoarding any pierogi. Gluten-free night at Little Walter’s is a monthly staple. According to Brenfleck, reservations are strongly encouraged and sell out quickly. 

“I think for a lot of people, it’s them being able to experience this food for the first time in a while, or maybe ever,” Brenfleck said. “There’s definitely a general vibe of a little bit more excitement. You can tell it’s just not a typical night.”

“Honestly, if it continues to be a strong thing for us, then we’ll probably move to biweekly.”

For her part, Storms is forever grateful to have Brenfleck and Little Walter’s right next door. 

“It’s trendy to be gluten free, but more people are being diagnosed with severe gluten intolerance, gluten allergy — with anaphylaxis, celiac disease,” Storms said. “I’m just really, really happy and grateful that I’m neighbors with Mike and he’s taken this not just as a business opportunity, but as a member of a community, to really kind of be the front runner and trailblazer here.”

“I love him for it so much,” she added. “Thank you, Mike, for my happy little gluten-free heart.”