Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander And Catalina Petok.
Hi Alexander and Catalina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our journey began in 2015, when my wife and I first met while working in the hospitality industry. From the beginning, we shared a passion for great food, exceptional service, and creating experiences people would remember.
Together, we bring decades of experience in professional kitchens, hotels, restaurants, and customer service. We have worked in some of the finest properties across the country, learning from talented chefs and hospitality professionals along the way.
We spent many years in Hawaii honing our skills and learning the true meaning of hospitality. Those years taught us that food is more than something you serve. It brings people together, creates memories, and makes people feel welcomed and cared for.
After moving to Northern Michigan, we experienced firsthand how difficult it could be to find truly safe gluten free food. Dining out often meant asking countless questions, worrying about shared equipment, hidden ingredients, and cross contamination, or simply choosing not to eat at all.
We knew there had to be a better way.
In March of 2025, we took everything we had learned and opened our food truck. We wanted to create food that was completely gluten free, safe, and still full of flavor. The response was immediate, and we quickly became busier than we ever imagined. Guests traveled from near and far because they finally had a place where they could eat with confidence.
Just six months later, in October of 2025, we opened the doors to our restaurant.
PETOK Culinary Experiences is bringing something truly different to the region and beyond. We operate a 100% dedicated gluten free kitchen that is certified gluten free, with certification endorsed by the National Celiac Association. There is no gluten in our kitchen, allowing guests to dine without the fear of cross contamination.
We also offer dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, nut free, and many other allergy friendly options. Our goal is to create a place where families and friends can gather around the same table and everyone can feel safe, included, and cared for.
At our core, we are a family business. Many of our recipes are inspired by the foods our parents made and the traditions we grew up with. We bring those memories into the kitchen, then work together to create dishes that reflect both of our backgrounds, experiences, and creativity.
We believe gluten free food should never feel like a compromise. That is why we make our breads in house and prepare our desserts from scratch. We put the same care, creativity, and attention into everything we serve, from breakfast and lunch to cheesecakes, Cinny’s, pastries, and specialty desserts.
From meeting in 2015, to building our skills over the years, to opening a food truck and then a restaurant only six months later, every part of this journey has led us here.
We are proud to bring decades of experience, family traditions, the spirit of Hawaiian hospitality, and a passion for safe, creative food to our community.
We are proud of how far we have come, but this is only the beginning.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Far from it. We have faced obstacles, long days, difficult decisions, and moments that tested us in ways we never expected. Still, we are grateful for every challenge because each one has taught us something, strengthened our discipline, and made us better along the way.
This journey has taught us resilience. It has shown us that success does not happen by accident. When you truly want something, you have to work for it, fight through the difficult moments, learn from your mistakes, and keep moving forward even when the road is uncertain.
The obstacles have not stopped us. They have helped shape who we are, how we operate, and the kind of business we are building.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My wife and I are the owners of PETOK Culinary Experiences, a family owned, 100% dedicated gluten free restaurant in Petoskey, Michigan.
We specialize in creating food that allows people to dine with confidence without sacrificing flavor, quality, or creativity. Our kitchen is certified gluten free, with certification endorsed by the National Celiac Association, and because no gluten enters our kitchen, our guests do not have to worry about cross contamination.
We also create a wide range of dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, nut free, and other allergy friendly dishes. Our breads are made in house, our desserts are prepared from scratch, and many of our recipes are inspired by the foods our parents made and the traditions we grew up with. We bring those memories into the kitchen and create the dishes together, combining our backgrounds, professional experience, and creativity.
Our journey together began in 2015 while working in the hospitality industry. Between us, we bring decades of experience in professional kitchens, restaurants, luxury hotels, customer service, and guest relations. We spent many years in Hawaii honing our skills and learning that hospitality is about much more than serving food. It is about making people feel welcomed, cared for, and remembered.
After moving to Northern Michigan, we experienced firsthand how difficult it could be to find truly safe gluten free food. Dining out often required asking endless questions about ingredients, shared equipment, and preparation methods. That experience inspired us to create the kind of place we wished had existed for us.
We opened our food truck in March of 2025, and the response was greater than we could have imagined. Only six months later, in October of 2025, we opened our restaurant. Today, we are proud to bring something unique not only to Northern Michigan, but to the state as a whole.
We are known for proving that gluten free food does not have to feel limited or like a substitute. We serve creative breakfasts, pizzas, burgers, pasta dishes, international specialties, homemade breads, cheesecakes, Cinny’s, and desserts that can be enjoyed by people with dietary restrictions and those without them.
What sets us apart is that gluten free is not simply an option on our menu. It is the foundation of everything we do. We operate a 100% dedicated gluten free kitchen, so our guests can dine without the constant fear of cross contamination. We take that responsibility seriously.
We also go beyond gluten free by offering dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, nut free, and other allergy friendly choices. Our breads are made in house, our desserts are prepared from scratch, and many of our recipes are inspired by our parents and created together in the kitchen.
Our decades of experience in professional kitchens, luxury hotels, restaurants, customer service, and hospitality also set us apart. We have spent years refining our skills and learning how to create not only great food, but a meaningful experience where people feel welcomed, understood, and cared for.
Most importantly, we understand the anxiety that can come with dining out because we have experienced it ourselves. We created the kind of restaurant we wished had existed for us.
That combination of safety, experience, creativity, family tradition, and genuine hospitality is what truly sets PETOK Culinary Experiences apart.
What we are most proud of is the trust our guests place in us. People travel to our restaurant because they know they can sit down, relax, and enjoy a meal without feeling excluded or afraid. We are proud to have created a place where families and friends can share the same table, even when they have different dietary needs.
The road has been far from smooth. We have faced obstacles, long days, difficult decisions, and challenges that tested our resilience and discipline. We are grateful for every one of them because each experience has taught us, strengthened us, and made us better.
This journey has shown us that when you truly want something, you have to work for it. You have to remain disciplined, learn from every setback, and continue moving forward even when the road is uncertain.
For us, PETOK Culinary Experiences is more than a restaurant. It is the result of our experiences, our family traditions, our partnership, and our belief that everyone deserves food that is safe, memorable, and made with care.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next five to ten years, we believe the gluten free industry will continue moving from a small specialty market into a major part of the food and hospitality world. Gluten free is no longer viewed simply as a passing diet trend. Awareness of celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and food sensitivities continues to grow, and more people are looking for food they can trust. The global gluten free market is projected to experience substantial growth through 2030, reflecting how quickly demand is expanding.
One of the biggest changes will be a stronger focus on safety and accountability. Guests are becoming more educated about the difference between food that is truly gluten free and food that is simply made without gluten ingredients. Shared fryers, preparation surfaces, utensils, ovens, and equipment can all create cross contact. The FDA defines gluten free food as containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten and recommends that restaurants using the term gluten free remain consistent with that standard.
We believe customers will increasingly expect restaurants to provide clear information about ingredients, preparation methods, staff training, and cross contact procedures. Dedicated kitchens, third party certifications, ingredient documentation, and testing will become increasingly valuable because people want more than a claim on a menu. They want proof, consistency, and confidence.
Dining away from home continues to be one of the most difficult parts of living with celiac disease. The National Celiac Association advises diners to ask about ingredients and preparation methods each time they visit a restaurant because procedures, ingredients, and employees can change. This demonstrates why education, training, and consistent systems will remain so important throughout the industry.
We also expect gluten free food to become more creative and diverse. Consumers are no longer satisfied with a packaged snack, a frozen bun, or a plain substitute. They want breads, pizzas, pastas, pastries, desserts, and culturally inspired dishes that taste just as good as the traditional versions. The future will belong to businesses that create exceptional food that happens to be gluten free, rather than food that tastes like a compromise.
Another major shift will be greater inclusion for people managing more than one dietary restriction. Many gluten free customers also search for dairy free, egg free, vegan, vegetarian, or nut free choices. Restaurants will need to understand how these needs overlap while remaining honest about what they can safely accommodate.
Technology will also play a larger role. Better ingredient tracking, digital allergen information, supplier documentation, testing equipment, and improved labeling will help businesses provide greater transparency. As consumers become more informed, vague phrases such as gluten friendly may no longer be enough. People will want to know exactly what a restaurant means and what precautions are being followed.
We also believe demand for entirely gluten free experiences will grow. People do not want to spend every meal questioning the server, worrying about the kitchen, or watching everyone else enjoy foods they cannot safely eat. The growth of dedicated dining and travel experiences shows that consumers value environments where gluten free guests can participate fully instead of being treated as an exception.
PETOK Culinary Experiences is already preparing for that future. We are not adding a few gluten free options to a traditional menu. We operate a 100% dedicated gluten free kitchen, make our breads in house, prepare our desserts from scratch, and continually create dishes that many people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance may not have enjoyed safely in years.
We believe the future of gluten free dining will be built around trust, transparency, education, creativity, and inclusion. The businesses that take those responsibilities seriously will not simply follow the industry. They will help define its future.
Pricing:
- Cinny’s: $8.88
- Cheesecake Slice: $8.00
- Menu Entreees: $15-$29
- Desserts: $3-$15
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.chefpetok.com
