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Every now and then a new gluten-free product shows up in the grocery store that surprises the hell out of me. Several weeks ago when our family was on vacation, my son Alex bought a package of Toufayan Gluten-free Wraps at the local Publix grocery store while he was helping to stock our away-from-home kitchen. For some reason, neither of us had seen this particular product before. It was almost like the company was quietly, almost shyly offering them up to the gluten-free community. The wraps weren’t in the gluten-free section- they were with the fresh baked goods in the bakery along with the other Toufayan products. We’d seen no ads. No PR articles in the newspaper. I hadn’t seen them at any of the gluten-free events I’d been to in the last year. I hadn’t heard any buzz in the gluten-free community. These wraps were a stealth product that suddenly showed up in our lives and they looked and felt like the real thing.
We gave them a try the next morning for breakfast. Alex filled his right from the bag with eggs and hot sauce. I warmed mine for a minute in a large fry pan and then filled it eggs and pepper jack cheese. Wow. Soft and pliable with a very, very mild flavor. They were good.
The next afternoon, I was served a lavish lunch at a friends house that included small wedge sized pieces of the very same wraps (again, right from the bag!) along with a luscious seafood dip. My friend Wendy waved the plastic bag with the huge words gluten-free printed all over it to reassure me I was safe.
I have to say, Toufayan wraps are a pleasure to eat after all the less supple, weird tasting ones I’ve tried over the last several years. They’re a good product to be able to have in our gluten-free pantry for when we don’t want to make them ourselves, or for when we don’t want to have to deal with the freshness issue of homemade wraps or tortillas (my homemade gluten-free flour tortillas only last several hours unless you freeze them, just like the fresh ones you’d get in a restaurant where they make them on-premise). They’d be really nice to pack for hikes, tailgates, and picnics at the beach because you can roll them right out of the bag and they won’t dry out (as long as you keep them wrapped). They’d also be good for lunch boxes and dipping in dips.
When we got back from our trip, I looked for the wraps in several stores but couldn’t find them anywhere, so I called the company. They told me that they’d be stocking my local grocery store later that week with a new shipment (and they are available all over the country in spite of what their confusing website says). I also found out that they make the wraps in a dedicated gluten-free facility and that it took over a year for them to come up with a product good enough to pass muster with the Karen Toufayan, daughter of the company’s founder.
The only real downside to Toufayan’s gluten-free wraps is that in order maintain suppleness and retard mold, the product contains a couple of ingredients that wouldn’t be in a homemade wrap or tortilla. But so do most of the other wraps available on grocery store shelves, and as I’ve mentioned on this blog before, so do many of the gluten-free baked goods and snack foods sold in stores around the country. What this means is that these wraps may not be good for those who choose to only ever eat food that is completely void of food additives. For families like ours, while we won’t consider them an everyday-food, we’ll welcome them as a not-all-the-time treat (and we really only eat baked goods on the weekends anyway, unless I’m testing recipes).
By the way, the folks at Toufayan also informed me that they will be introducing three new flavored gluten-free wraps in their line: a spinach tortilla, a savory tomato tortilla, and a garden vegetable tortilla. I was able to get a sneak preview and they all passed the taste and texture test here —but with the same shelf-life prolonging food additive ingredient list heads-up.
They are perfect for me because they fit so easily into our RV fridge while we’re on the road! I wonder how they’d be baked or fried or crisped up somehow. Then they could be dipped. They’re showing up in more stores in western NJ all the time.
hi there Marianne!
Good to hear from you!
Other than using them as a wrap with either eggs, chicken, salmon and cheese, we’ve made into quesadillas. (We cut the quesadillas up into wedges and then served them on a platter along side my with my Black bean, Corn and Tomato Salad from The Gluten-Free Good Health Cookbook.) They were really good that way and they crisped up nicely in the pan. I’m sure they could be fried, too. At the lunch I mentioned in the post above, we used a little knife to spread the seafood dip because as you noted, they are too soft to actually dip into a firm dip. They’d be perfect for your travels!
Hope you are having a great summer.
very best,
Annalise
Thanks for the heads up on these. I found them in my local Publix and made wraps with them earlier today. Two thumbs up!
hi!
So good to hear you were able to find them at a local store- and that you enjoyed eating them! Isn’t it nice to be able to buy something like this without feeling like you have to compromise?
Enjoy!
very best,
Annalise
Yes! I wish them great success with their gf products. I hope they keep making them!
I bought these and am eager to try them. They were on the shelf–not refrigerated–at my grocery store, but I cannot find a “use by” date anywhere on them. help!
hi!
I’m not sure exactly what I can do to help you since I can’t see the package, but if I were you, I’d contact the company for help. Here is their website: http://www.toufayan.com/
They were very accommodating when I wrote to them and I assume they remain so. I’m confident they would be able to give you the information you need.
I hope you enjoy the wraps!
Very best regards,
Annalise
Hi there, I agree with you that these wraps are awesome. I love to make toasted rollovers with turkey and veggies in them. I love how they crisp up because it is just like I have bacon on my sandwich, and that is a treat since I’ve cut bacon out of my diet for the most part. 🙂 I also believe that they need more pr because I myself happened upon them by accident one day at the deli. So glad that I did.
hi!
It’s good to hear you found them at the store!They certainly are a lovely surprise aren’t they? I wish more companies would put more money into research and development and good products, and less into glitzy promotions!
Very best,
Annalise
I really like bacon, as well, but I try not to eat too often. Absence makes the heart grow fonder???? Nah. I’d eat it a lot more if I could.
I found the glutenfree wraps at a Publix store while visiting my daughter in Georgia. Can you tell me the best way to keep them fresh and for how long? Do they freeze well? Is it best to heat before eating?
hi!
I kept them in the refrigerator for under two weeks once they were open- only because we ate them. Not sure if they would stay fresh longer once open. I think every refrigerator is different, too. So you’d have to try it in yours.
I also put an opened bag in the freezer and it seemed to keep nicely for a month. But I didn’t test it for longer.
My family used them fresh out of the bag, and/or warmed them in the microwave between slightly damp paper towels. (We also warmed the frozen ones in the microwave the same way.)
I hope this helps!
Very best regards,
Annalise
I just received a reply from the manufacturer regarding shelf life. I was told they freeze well for 260 days, and can remain at ambient temperatures in an unopened package on the shelf for 80 days. Once opened, the recommendation was to store in the fridge to help prolong freshness.
Good to know. Thank you for taking the time to write back!
Are the spinach gf wraps available for purchase from the bakery now?
What is the cost for a case of 10
Can a case be of different kinds?
Love those wraps, came upon them by accident at publix in Florida
hi!
I’ve seen the garden vegetable wraps in stores by me. But you would have to contact the company (or you local grocery) for specific cost information. http://www.toufayan.com/
Glad you you enjoyed the wraps!
Very best,
Annalise
Annalise
I live in Michigan can you tell me where I can find the wraps here please? I found them at a Little store by mistake while visiting friends up north but would like to find them closer? Thank you
Hi!
I think perhaps the best way to find this out would be to look on their website for the store locator. I really don’t have access to the information you want myself. But I do know they are in a lot of major chain stores, except Whole Foods.
http://www.toufayan.com
Hope you enjoy them once you are able to find them in a local store!
Very best regards,
Annalise
I’ve had a real problem trying to find these wraps in stores in CT, even though the Toufayan web site says they sell them in Stop N Shop and a few other places. I’ve made calls to the stores specifically, gone to the stores, and have come up empty-handed.
I’ve been fortunate enough to pick them up in Florida and bring them home, but once my supply runs out, I’m going to be in that same boat. For those of us who love these products, I think our best bet right now is to work with our local health food stores that carry GF products and see if they can order for us, and begin to stock these regularly.
I also ran into this issue with the brown rice flour mix from Authentic Foods (shipping charge is beyond ridiculous!). Luckily, my health food store owner was more than glad to order for me through her supplier, and I now buy cases at a time, for which she gives me a discount!
Moral to the story…..be persistent in finding retailers who’ll help!
hey there!!
Although I guess I’m lucky about being able to find the wraps in several stores around me, you are right about being persistent when it comes to buying hard to find products. It’s a really nice that your local health food store would order the Authentic Foods for you. I hope more people start asking their local stores to stock it!!
very best,
Annalise
The first time I had them I was in Florida, I liked them so much that I bought whatever they had on the shelf. After my supply was gone, I started searching for them in MA, nowhere to be found. I contacted Toufayan and found out I could buy the from them directly by the case. This is just what I did. My supply is getting very low again, if I don’t find them near my home, I will be ordering another case.
They did not have the assorted favors when I bought them, hopefully, they will now. They also freeze very well.
Thank you Toufayan, for such a great wrap!
hi Jacque!
So glad they were able to accommodate you! I started seeing the assorted flavors in my local stores, so I bet they would be able to ship those as well. I wonder why your local stores don’t carry them?
Enjoy!
Very best,
Annalise
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Hello, I found these at a publix in Florida but I am in Boston and have not seen them since. My stores don’t stock this. Any chance I can have some shipped directly?
Thank you!
Regina
Hi!
Interesting question- but sorry to say, I’m not sure what the answer is. I think perhaps the best way to find out would be to contact the company directly. I know when I first returned from my trip to Florida and couldn’t find the wraps in local stores either, I wrote them and they told me where I would be able to find them in a few weeks — they were just starting to ship to some of my local stores but the product wasn’t on the shelves yet. Perhaps they could ship some to you – and open a few accounts up in stores by you! Please let me know what happens!
Very best regards,
Annalise