Fawn Dietz Wants You to Shut Up and Eat

STFU & NOM owner Fawn Dietz doesn’t want to serve her gluten-free food just to gluten-free people. With her food cart STFU & NOM, she wants to get everybody to try her cuisine — even those who are a bit hesitant.

“It’s gluten-free, so shut the fuck up and eat it,’” Dietz says. “Just because it’s gluten-free doesn’t mean it’s not going to be good.”

STFU & Nom, a gluten-free food cart, is nestled in a comfy corner in the parking lot of fellow gluten-free-food compatriot Heritage Distilling.

The origin of the cart and its name — short for “sustainable, tasty, fresh and unconventional” — resulted from Dietz’s group chat with fellow mothers, her and her son being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance and a celiac disease, respectively, and an informal culinary education of watching The Great British Bake Off and Chopped.

After joking with her husband via Messenger that she could run a food cart, Dietz realized he wasn’t kidding around.

“I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. Hold the phone. You’re not being negative here,’” Dietz says with a laugh.

STFU & NOM’s summer menu offers chicken and waffle sandwiches, watermelon salad and Korean beef tacos among other hearty dishes, along with appetizers, salads and lighter grilled fare.

Without food-service experience, she opened up the “Dietz Eatz and Peeps” food cart, but the name didn’t go over well with potential customers, Dietz says, which she surmises is because it implies diet food.

And though the “obstacles never stopped,” Dietz isn’t ready to quit.

“I’m going to do what I love to do,” Dietz says.

STFU & Nom is at 255 Madison at Eugene Wine Cellars, open from noon to 8 pm Wednesday, noon to 9 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 10 am to 2 pm Sunday, when it serves brunch. Closed Monday and Tuesday. More at STFUNom.com and Facebook.com/stfunom.

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