A self-taught chef who set out on a “mission” to open Hampstead’s first gluten-free pizzeria has been named one of the rising stars of British hospitality.
DiJoN Bascombe launched his gluten-free pizza hatch at Hampstead Community Market in October 2025 — and exactly one year on, he has taken home the rising star award at the 2026 Be Inclusive Hospitality (BIH) Spotlight Awards, chosen by an independent panel of hospitality leaders for building a brand that is genuinely safe for coeliacs.
Before finding a permanent home, Bascombe spent years running pizza stalls and pop-ups across London under his brand Good F’ing Pizza. The Hampstead hatch — a 9 sqm takeaway unit with outdoor seating at the back of the market for evening customers — gave him the base he had been working towards. It was funded by a £6,000 Crowdfunder that hit its target within 24 hours, set up to open a cafe and pizzeria that would be 100 per cent safe for coeliacs.
On the Crowdfunder page he wrote: “My name is Dijon and I’m on a mission to change the perception of gluten free food by creating amazing food and safe spaces for the gf community to feel included and not just an after thought.”
Within six months the hatch had expanded into a second unit, and by May this year the business had doubled in size by moving into the unit next door. By day the cafe sells gluten-free pastries and cakes sourced from top bakeries; in the evenings the pizza oven fires up.
Why coeliac-safe matters
For the roughly one in a hundred people with coeliac disease, “gluten-free option” on a menu is not always enough. The condition is an autoimmune response, not a preference, and even tiny amounts of gluten from shared flour, boards or ovens can cause serious harm. A kitchen that is 100 per cent gluten-free removes the cross-contamination gamble entirely — which is why the judges singled out Bascombe’s offer rather than just his pizzas.
London’s free-from food scene has grown rapidly in recent years, but dedicated coeliac-safe kitchens remain rare, and rarer still in the independent high-street sector where rents punish small footprints. That a 9 sqm market hatch got there first in Hampstead says something about where the innovation is happening.
The awards
The 2026 BIH Spotlight Awards, now in their fifth year, celebrate Black and ethnic minority talent across the UK hospitality industry. This year’s ceremony was held on October 12 at Quaglino’s in London, with 300 industry professionals honouring winners across 16 categories spanning chefs, restaurants, drinks professionals, writers and brands, chosen from 60 finalists.
Lorraine Copes, founder and chief executive of Be Inclusive Hospitality, said: “Every year, these awards bring new stories, journeys and ambitions from 60 finalists. What has remained constant over the past five years is the exhilaration, celebration and connections forged between our community and partners. Recognition and visibility for deserving people and businesses matter more than ever.”
“Hospitality is a tough industry to navigate, and my hope is that these awards continue to give our finalists the encouragement and momentum to keep moving forward.” Ms Copes founded the awards to address the underrepresentation of ethnic minority talent in leadership roles across the industry.
From award-winning takeaways in Dagenham to new restaurant openings drawing queues in Wimbledon and big launches at Olympia, London’s food scene hands out plenty of prizes — but few come with a mission statement as clear as Bascombe’s. A year after the hatch fired up its oven, the village has its answer: gluten-free pizza, done properly, was worth the wait.
