2013 Colin Leslie Celiac Disease Walk on Hiatus Until 2014

Colin Leslie Celiac Walk will be back in 2014!



Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease Awareness

I heard this week that my favorite Gluten Free event of the year, the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease Awareness, has been canceled for 2013.  Unfortunately, according to their website, the Rye High School which has hosted the walk every year since the walks inception, is undergoing renovations. With the large number of gluten free vendors, the organizers of the walk were unable to find another venue with both enough space and a scenic walk. 

The good news is, the walk will be back in 2014!  In the mean time check out my gluten free event calendar for some other GF event options this year including: the 2013 Gluten Free Fair and Expo (Hauppauge, NY), the Mid-Hudson Walk for Celiac Disease (Poughkeepsie, NY), the Seashore Celiacs Annual Picnic (Brick, NJ), and the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo (Secaucus, NJ).

Event Review: Appetite For Awareness (Philadelphia, PA)

I just got home a short while ago from Appetite for Awareness. [Note, I wrote this last night, added the photos and published this morning.]  I drove down down with a friend of mine (also gluten free, but not fully dairy free) and had a great time sampling the products and restaurant offerings, viewing two cooking demos, watching the NFCA award ceremony for Michael from Gluten Free Philly [if you live in south Jersey, the Philly area or Delaware you should be following his blog], and meeting Erin who writes Gluten Free Fun [an NYC GF blog], writes Gluten Free Globetrotter [a world travel GF blog], and organizes the NYC Celiac Meetup. 

Michael from Gluten Free Philly
accepting his award from the NFCA

There were over 40 vendors and  almost 30 restaurants.  I'll touch on some of the highlights below but keep in mind, since I am dairy free as well I skipped those vendors/restaurants that didn't have anything both GF and DF.  I good number of those I skipped do have dairy free products or menu items (they just didn't have them with them).  As always it was nice to see Udi's and Pamela's but neither had their new product lines with them - once I see those new items in stores I'll be sure to review them.  The full list of vendors and restaurants is on the NFCA website here:  http://www.celiaccentral.org/a4a/.  On to the highlights:



• The show highlight: dense crusty bagels from SweetNote Bakery.  Sadly these aren't in stores (yet?), but they are available commercially to deli's and other restaurants that want to offer their diners a gf/df bagel option.  Their website has a list of where around the Philadelphia area you can get these.

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Bagel samples from SweetNote Bakery

• Casona of Collingswood, NJ was serving an amazing tuna ceviche on a round corn tostada.  Amazing!  This is one of the restaurants on my GF Restaurant list that I have been dying to try.  After tasting this, I need to make an excuse to drive two hours to Collingswood!

• Pasta Pomodoro (Voorhees, NJ) had an amazing GF (and mostly DF) spread as well.  They had a crepe with sweet potato filling and a crab guacamole.  They are also on my short list of must try NJ GF restaurants!

Vegan / Gluten Free Cheesesteak and
GF/Vegan Pizza Crackers from Jar Bar

• Imagine a 100% gluten free and dairy free restaurant and you'd have Jar Bar (ok, technically they're vegan and raw as well but since I can't really handle egg that works for me!)  They had an amazing chocolate mousse (made with avocado which you'd never taste) and both a gf/vegan cheese steak as well as a gf/df pizza (both served at the event on Jar Bar's own flax crackers).  This is a restaurant I'd love to try next time I'm in Philly (even though I love tasty animals)!

• Grandma's Grotto (Horsham, PA) had six different types of cookies (only two were DF), gf meatballs (sadly with dairy) and a pasta dish with chicken and vegetables (dairy free and without tomato sauce).  The snickerdoodle I had was great and I'm glad I picked up a menu.  They offer a tri-fold gluten free menu at their restaurant and even have pre-made frozen items available. 

PB&J bites on Gluten Free Quinoa Bread from Taffets

• Taffets All Gluten Free Bakery and Shop was sampling a number of their breads and cookies (all breads are DF as well).  The bread was really good; and this is another spot I'll try the next time I'm in Philly.

• I also got to catch up with Christine from Sweet Rubino's.  Her specialty Italian cookies are gluten free, corn free, dairy free, soy free and refined sugar free (some are vegan as well).  I'm looking forward to these being available in stores.  (Which hopefully will be soon!)

• 1-2-3 Gluten Free mixes aren't new but I was interested to find out that each of their mixes has dairy free modifications / recipes printed inside the box (the mixes themselves are already dairy free).  (I also like that they prepared one of their four samples using that recipe so those of us who are DF could try them too!)

• Sadly, Pure Tacos wasn't serving anything dairy free today but I did want to mention them since both their Ocean City, NJ and Philadelphia, PA locations are 100% gluten free!

You'd think at this point I'd be in a food coma and wouldn't want to think about more GF food but I'm already gearing up for Sunday's Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease (both the outdoor walk, and the walk around the vendor's hall)!

If I missed any GF/DF options yesterday, feel free to share what I missed in the comments below!

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease Awareness: 2012

While I'm looking forward to attending Appetite for Awareness this weekend, and the CSA conference in October on Long Island, the one Gluten Free Event I most anticipate every year is the Colin Leslie Walk in Rye, NY!  Colin Leslie started this walk in 2005 and to date has collected over $335,000 for the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia.

Again this year, the walk will be held at Rye High School in Rye, NY.  The date has moved up a bit, this year it is on Sunday, September 30th.  The walk runs along Long Island Sound (your choice of 2 or 4 miles), and after the walk there is a guest speaker (this year is Dr. Peter Green), lunch available for purchase (from Wild Westchester BBQ / Opus 465 of Armonk, NY), and the highlight of the event – a gymnasium full of gluten free vendors (40 have signed up so far, last year there were so many they filled two gyms)!

I’ll be walking again this year and I highly recommend that you attend and walk as well. The registration page is here: Colin Leslie Celiac Walk Registration Page.

If you can’t make the walk and would still like to contribute, my donation page is here: Jason's Donation Page for the Colin Leslie Celiac Disease Walk.  Any amount is greatly appreciated.

I hope to see you all there!

My Day with the Seashore Celiacs

You know how you sometimes go to a cook out and everything is gluten free, from the gluten free hamburger buns, to the gluten free hot dog buns, to the gluten free pizzas on the grill, and even every single item every single other guest brought is gluten free?  No? That doesn't happen to you?  Then apparently you weren't at the Seashore Celiacs 11th Annual Picnic yesterday!

There were even plenty of options for those of us who are both gluten and dairy free.  There were Udi's, Ener-G, and Kinnikinnick gf hot dog and gf hamburger buns and about 1/3 of all of the items brought for the potluck were dairy free too.

Gluten Free Samples from the Seashore Celiacs'
11th Annual Picnic (Warning: not all are dairy free)

Upon arrival each guest is given a wrist band and directed to pick up their bag of samples.  This year's bag was packed to the top with samples, coupons, and literature donated by various gluten free companies.  I dumped the bag out on my bed when I got home like a kid after a long night of trick-or-treating!  (That's the photo at the right.)  I'd say about 90% of these samples are dairy free as well.

Each picnic-goer is also asked to bring along a dish to share.  I brought my Black Bean and Quinoa Salad.  Each dish is labeled with the ingredients making life easier for those with multiple food issues.  At the back of the pavilion are a couple of grills turning out hot dogs and hamburgers on your choice of gluten free buns donated this year by Udi's, Kinnikinnick and/or Ener-G.  There were even pizzas going on one of the grills (the shells were donated by Still Riding Pizza).  [The ones cooking when I went up the first time had dairy cheese and I was too stuffed to go back for seconds and see if there was DF cheese at any point.]  There were also two tables of pot-luck (about 2/3rds hot) some made with donated products (like Caesar's Pasta Specialties, Conte's Pasta, Goldbaum's pasta, Lotus Foods Forbidden Black Rice, amongst others).

After lunch (ok, some of us snuck under the wraps early) they opened up an additional two full tables of desserts.  Most where homemade (again some with donated mixes from Wegmans, Namaste, Breads by Anna, and GF Oats)  While still others were samples by Foods by George, Udi's,  Schar, Ener-G, Amy's, Pamela's, and Sunstart).

The picnic finished with a raffle of dozens of prizes again donated by various GF vendors, stores and restaurants.  The volunteers running the raffle, even pause towards the end to make sure everyone who bought a ticket wins at least one prize!

All in all it was an amazing day.  The weather was great, I met some new friends and reconnected with some old friends.  The volunteers that make this happen are truly amazing people, they are super friendly and put in not only a long day pulling this picnic off but what I am sure were long hours planning and organizing it as well.  Thank you all!!!

Suffolk County Gluten Free Vendor Fair: Event Review

Wow!

Simply wow, there aren't many other words to describe the (almost) annual gluten free vendor fair put on by the Gluten Intolerance Group of Long Island. This year they gathered together over 50 vendors for two days of sampling and tasting in Hauppauge, NY. Each attendee received a reusable shopping bag with a couple of samples, an entire box of Glutino's Apple and Cinnamon Rings and a bunch of coupons. I began writing this shortly after I got home and already I can't wait for next year's! [Note, I didn’t finish until today.]

As always, I skipped over any vendors who weren't also offering dairy free but there weren't too many of those. There were some old standbys: Bakery on Main, Bob & Ruth's, Bob's Red Mill, Delight Gluten Free Magazine, Schär, El's Kitchen, Garden Lites, Kettle Cuisine, Namaste, NJY Camps, Really Great Food Company, Rudi's, ThinkThin, and Whole Foods. These are companies that I reviewed as part of the Colin Leslie Walk or since then.

BOLD Organics Gluten Free / Dairy Free / Vegan Pizza

The real stand outs and new releases are below (in alphabetical order):


BOLD Organics – this is brand new line of gluten free and dairy free pizzas. I tried the regular (titled Vegan Cheese Pizza but all four have vegan cheese) and it was quite good. They also offer meat lovers (sadly containing pork based pepperoni), veggie lovers, and deluxe (meat and veggie combined). They were baking four pies at a time for sample yet there was still a line the entire day!

Canyon Bakehouse – they were unable to attend but sent along lots of samples of their breads (I can never seem to find their mountain white), Focaccia, Hamburger buns, and their new Cranberry Crunch Muffins.

Gilbert's Gourmet Goodies New Packaging
for their Gluten Free Cookies

Gilbert’s Goodies – I had a nice chat with the owner about how happy I am that they are offered at the Prudential Center’s Gluten Free Cart. They have a new packaging (see photo) and are looking to expand into other sports and convention venues.

Greek Village Restaurant and Catering (44 Veterans Highway, Commack, NY 11725) - this local greek restaurant is offering a sizable gluten free menu including gluten free pitas from GFL Foods for an additional charge. I was tempted to stop here afterwards for a late late lunch but was still too full from sampling. If I were anywhere near central Long Island, I’d definitely be heading there!

Joan's GF Great Bakes – ah, Joan's is back! For those who don't know, Joan's had a fire at their facility last year and were off line for a number of months. They are back in full force and were sampling gluten free (and dairy free) corn toaster cakes, english muffins, multigrain english muffins, and double chocolate muffins. All of Joan's products are sold ready to bake so one can bake them fresh at home. Not all of Joan's products are dairy free however so it was a real treat that everything they sampled today was!

Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Bread

Kinnikinnick – I spent quite a bit of time chatting with the people from this Canada based Gluten Free (and allergen aware) company. I am already well acquainted with their cookies and donuts (see my review of their gluten free donuts). I had heard that they had just launched a new gluten free soft bread and was a bit skeptical. Let’s face it; everyone claims theirs is the bread that’s so good you don’t need to toast it. Well, Kinnikinnick is the first company to be correct in that assertion! I’m working my way through a loaf of their soft white bread right now and will be reviewing it shortly! They’re making their hamburger and hot dog buns out of this same formula. 

Mostly Myrtle's owner and daughter
and their gluten free / dairy free creations!

Mostly Myrtle’s – they were at the last meeting of the Northern NJ Celiac Support Group and I didn’t pay enough attention to them since they were “only in NY”. Oh, bad move. They’ve got a wide variety of unique gluten free products and are steadily expanding. They’re best known for their biskooky’s but also make some amazingly muffins and brownies as well. I think I’ll stop here and write them a full review later. Just a quick note: not all of their products are gluten free but those that are, are dairy free as well!

Nantucket Pasta Goddess - has a line of fresh gluten free pastas that were quite good.

Naturally Free Food (9 Singer Lane, Smithtown, NY 11787) - a local [Long Island] dedicated gluten free store/bakeshop. They can do dairy free baked goods as well but didn't have any with them.

Pamela's - Pamela's didn't have anything new at this show but was again giving away samples of individual brownie mixes, mini cookies and whenever bars (so good!). I did hear a rumor that they'll be launching five new baking mixes in the fall!

Immaculate Baking Co's New
Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Cookies

Strictly Gluten Free (396A Larkfield Road, East Northport, NY 11731– I didn’t stop at their booth but I did stop into their store on the way home. It is a fully gluten free store with a wide variety. They even offer a couple of samples upfront. It was here that I found Immaculate Baking Co’s new Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Cookies!

SweetieBeans - a brand new line of gluten free mixes, not out in stores yet.

Way Better Snacks – this new chip manufacturer has six different sprouted grain gluten free chips that were great. They should be available at your local Fairway and Whole Foods and hopefully will keep expanding beyond.

Wild By Nature Markets (East Setauket, Huntington, Hampton Bays, and Oceanside, NY) – this small grocery chain had a surprising variety of gluten free and dairy free products. I also stopped here on the way home and bought myself Kinnikinnick’s new hamburger buns, Amy’s Sandwich Rounds, and Solterra’s GF/DF pizza. They had plenty of other products to choose from but these were the ones I knew I couldn’t get at home.

Wild Flours Bake Shop (11 New Street, Huntington, NY 11743) – another local dedicated gluten free bakery that is mostly dairy free. They do have regular cheese for some items but also offer dairy free cheese for the same.

XO Baking Co – they offer a line of gluten free mixes that could be prepared gluten free. I was able to try two of them made with almond milk and they were quite good. They’ll be in Whole Foods in September.



So that’s it. On the way home I did stop off at Ray’s Café in Rye Brook, NY for dinner only to find they had closed and it is now an Elevation Burger. I decided to continue on and try Stir Crazy instead. I’ll post that review later this month.

Happy Celiac Awareness Month 2012!

Happy Celiac Awareness Month everyone! 

I'm looking forward to lots of great events this month: Celiac Awareness Night with the NY Mets on Friday, the Suffolk County GF Vendor Fair this weekend, , a gluten free tasting at a local store and two different gluten free / celiac support group meetings (the second is on my birthday!)  All these and more are on my Gluten Free NJ Event List.

May also brings the GIG's (Gluten Intolerance Group) Chef-to-Plate Campaign!  Every year the GIG asks restaurants to volunteer in helping to spread awareness of Celiac Disease by posting gluten free information in their restaurant.  This year's Gluten Free New Jersey Restaurants are:

Aliperti's Ristorante (1189 Raritan Road, Clark, NJ 07066)

Antionetta's Waterfront Restaurant (523 Cedar Run Dock Road, Westcreek, NJ 08092)

Bashful Banana Bakery & Cafe (17 Bayaire Road, Ocean City/Marmora, NJ 08223)

Casona of Collingswood (563 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108)

Cheeseburger in Paradise
     (625 US Hwy 1 South, Iselin, NJ 08830)
     (344 US Hwy 46, Wayne, NJ 07470)
     (700 Plaza Dr, Ste 7101, Secaucus, NJ 07094-3604)

Fresh City (94 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039)

Gaetano's Restaurant (10 Wallace Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701)

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant (124 East Kings Highway, Maple Shade, NJ 8052)

Mamas Cafe Baci (260 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840)

Organic4Life (401 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell, NJ 07006) Review: Gluten Free Dining at Organic4Life

Romano's Macaroni Grill
     (138 Route 10, Suite 2, E. Hanover, NJ 07936)
     (1521 Route 1, Edison, NJ 08837)
     (51 International Dr S, Flanders, NJ 07836)
     (900 State Route 17 N., Suite 2, Ramsey, NJ 07446)
     (1958 Rt. 23 North, Wayne, NJ 07470)
     (3569 Route One, West Windsor, NJ 08540)

The Melting Pot
     (2112 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401)
     (100 Sinatra Drive, Hoboken, NJ 07030)
     (Galleria, 2 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701)
     (190 W. Main Street, Somerville, NJ 08876)
     (250 Center Avenue, Westwood, NJ 07675)
     (831 Route 10, Whippany, NJ 07981)

Via Roma (2360 Lakewood Road, Toms River, NJ 08755)

The full list including any last minute updates as well as the non-NJ restaurants is here: 2012 GIG Chef-to-Plate Campaign by State.  I hope to get to a couple of these and quite a few more off of my list of Restaurants in NJ with Gluten Free Menus.

So how will you be celebrating this month?

Event Review: Celiac Awareness Tour: Philadelphia

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Celiac Awareness Tour’s stop in Philadelphia, PA (technically, King of Prussia, PA). There were a number of featured speakers throughout the event but the real treat (at least for me) is always the vendors.

There were over two dozen vendors in attendance. There were some old standbys: Udi’s, Kinnikinnick, Conte’s, Caesar’s, Allergen Free Foods, and Bakery on Main. As well as some local stores/restaurants to the Philly area. (I obviously skipped any vendors that were only offering dairy containing products/samples.) The stand outs from the show were:

Rudi’s Gluten Free - they recently launched very thin sandwich wraps/tortillas. The gentleman manning the booth, demonstrated rolling the wraps without breaking them and how much effort it took to break them up to sample. I’ll definitely be trying these as soon as they are available near me and comparing them to my current favorite wrap.

Daiya Dairy Free Cheese

Daiya Dairy Free Cheese - I had previously seen Daiya’s new products in Wegmans but hadn’t yet bought them. Big mistake! Daiya has managed to produce a block of cheese that can be eaten like real cheese (i.e. without broiling first). They’re called Daiya Wedges and I tried both the cheddar and the Jalapeno Garlic Havarti (kind of spicy) and was amazed. Now, just like other ‘cheese’ substitutes these have little nutritional value (i.e. no calcium, limited protein) but if you are looking to do cheese and crackers plate or and a garnish to a salad cubing up these products can fit the bill. (All three are gluten free, dairy free, vegan, soy free, egg free, peanut free, nut free (contains coconut).) [I’ll be publishing an article shortly with a head-to-head comparison of Vegan Gourmet vs. Daiya Dairy Free Cheeses.]

New Planet Gluten Free Beer (Ale)

New Planet Gluten Free Beer - they were sampling their three beers: Tread Lightly Ale, Off Grid Pale Ale, and 3R Raspberry Ale. I tried the Raspberry just to report back (unfortunately, I can’t handle carbonation either) and it was quite good. If I could drink beer, I would certainly have this again.

Finally, I got to briefly meet Michael from Gluten Free Philly. GF Philly is an amazing resource and one of the blogs I follow. I’ve got a review of the site scheduled shortly, but in the mean time, if you are anywhere near Philly, I highly recommend checking the site out.

After the conference I took a quick tour of Valley Forge and then stopped at PB&U for lunch. PB&U is a quick serve Peanut Butter sandwich restaurant. So far they have locations in Wayne, PA and Moorestown, NJ. That review is also coming shortly too!

For more upcoming gluten free events don't forget to check out my Gluten Free Event Calendar.

Upcoming Gluten Free Events in and around New Jersey

In addition to the usual monthly support group meetings there are quite a few upcoming gluten free events in the New Jersey area. All of the support groups (and these one-off events) are on my NJ Gluten Free Event Calendar.

First up, on Sunday evening, April 22nd, Pasta Pomodoro in Voorhees, NJ is hosting a fundraiser night for the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness (NFCA). Diners that evening will be able to order off of the full gluten free menu and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the NFCA. The event's facebook page is here: Gluten-Free Dinner and Fundraiser.

This is followed on April 28th by the Celiac Awareness Tour's arrival in Philadelphia, PA (King of Prussia). This series of national events include gluten-free vendors, chef demonstrators and educational speakers. The “buy tickets” page has much more info than their main page: Celiac Awareness Tour – Philly.

That brings us to May and first up is Celiac Awareness Night with the NY Mets on Friday May 4th. (No website available yet.)

That same weekend is an event that I last attended in 2010 (they skipped 2011), the Suffolk County 2012 Gluten Free Vendor Fair! It's well worth the drive out to Long Island for a hall filled with gluten free vendors (they've listed 35 online already!) It is a two day event due to the volume of attendees (it took me maybe two hours to visit every table last time). The event website is here: Suffolk County 2012 Gluten Free Vendor Fair.

The following week brings two events I've never attended before. The first is the 2nd Annual Catwalk for Celiac a fundraiser fashion show in Wood-Ridge, NJ on May 9th. There is more information here: 2nd Annual Catwalk for Celiac.

The second is a new event, a store tasting over two days (May 11 and 12) at Healthway Natural Foods in Tenafly, NJ. More info on this event is here: Two Day Gluten Free Tasting at Healthway Natural Foods.

June 3rd is the 6th Annual L. Lodico Walk for Celiac Disease. I've gone a couple of times and this event includes a scenic walk though Fort Toten Park, a sizable gluten free product raffle (they gave out dozens of prizes last year) and a small number of vendors/tastings. The site loads slow but it is here: 6th Annual L. Lodico Walk for Celiac Disease.

The 24th of June brings the Annual SeaShore Celiac Picnic. This amazing event includes a gluten free cookout, a side dish and dessert pot-luck (complete with ingredient labels for those of us with multiple issues) and a vendor giveaway bag to those that pre-register. The event page isn't posted yet but you can check the main page here: SeaShore Celiacs.

That's it for now! But as I noted at the beginning, my full event calendar is here: New Jersey Gluten Free Events and it contains links to all of these events and many more.

If there's an event I'm missing, please let me know via the Contact Me form on the left.

Best of Gluten Free Awards – by Triumph Dining

It’s time to vote in Triumph Dining’s Annual Best of Gluten Free Awards. The survey is 55 questions in 11 categories and took me about 10 minutes to complete (although there were certain product groups that I just don’t use and therefore had no opinion on).


One can write in answers under ‘Other’ and I recommend you do. They state that if they see a trend in the write ins, they’ll add the item to the list. I found a couple of categories lacking in the true best product. (And countries as well, I can’t believe that Spain wasn’t listed – after all McDonald’s in Spain now carry GF buns!

In exchange for voting, Triumph Dining is offering prizes to 75 winners (3 Amazon Kindle Fires, 25 copies of The Essential Gluten-Free Baking Guides and 50 Asian Cuisine Triumph Dining Card Kits.

Survey ends March 1, 2012 and they state they’ll announce winners shortly after that.

* Please note, if you don’t have a favorite in a particular category, they recommend that you select ‘Other’ and write in ‘none’ or ‘no answer’.

Upcoming Celiac Support Group Meetings

I’m a member of six area support groups. A number of groups took a month or two (or three) off around the holidays and my schedule kept me from some of the other meetings and events. This month however my three closest groups are all meeting and I can’t wait. It is always nice to see familiar faces, catch up on the latest gossip (i.e. what new products are good, which restaurants now have gluten free menus, etc), and enjoy the company of others who completely get what it is to live with food issues (while each group focuses on Celiac Disease/Gluten Free there are plenty of members in each with multiple food issues/intolerances/allergies).

First up is the GF Club at the Fine Grind in Little Falls, NJ on Monday February 13th. Two days later on Wednesday February 15th the Lyndhurst NJ Celiac Support Group meets. And finally, on Thursday February 23rd the Northern NJ Celiac Disease Support Group Meetup meets.

If you are looking for other NJ celiac/gluten free groups then check out my Gluten Free NJ Events Page. If you are outside of New Jersey, I’ve got an entire article on Finding a Celiac Support Group.

If I’m missing a group or a meeting please let me know through the Contact Me form in the left sidebar.

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 3)

Continued from Part 2 - Recap of Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease

Sorry for the delay, but here is the final installment of my vendor recap from the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease.

Other vendors:

A Taste of Thai – They sent along a heap of individually wrapped fortune cookies as samples, but didn’t attend. The packages lacked ingredients but it turns out they are GF/DF. I do like a number of their instant rice cartons and keep some in my desk drawer for emergencies.  The fortune cookies are nothing like a chinese fortune cookie and I've never seen another Thai fortune cookie so I have no point of comparison.  They are sweet and a touch cinnamony maybe?

By-the-Way Bakery Gluten Free / Dairy Free Baked Goods



Bakery on Main – They had samples of their GF granola and granola bars.

Boar's Head - They had a giant prize wheel and everyone who spun won something. I won a reusable lunch bag.

By the Way Bakery - They're an actual local bakery at 574 Warburton Avenue, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 10706.  They were sampling their cupcakes, pound cake, biscotti, granola, etc.  I tried their marble pound cake which was good and their lemon pound cake that was out-of-this-world!  Their entire menu is gluten and dairy free!

Breads from Anna – These are some amazing mixes that are very allergen aware.  They're all gluten free, most are dairy free but there is something for everyone as some are yeast free, corn free, soy free, nut free, and even rice free.  I last saw them locally at Linda’s Diet Delites in Clark (see my gluten free store list for contact info), but hopefully they'll shortly be available at more local shops.

Charley’s Organic Toffee - they didn't have anything DF at the show, but they do have one DF product via mail order only.

Deb's Farmhouse Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies

Cogolulu Café - (991 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897) this is a 100% GF cafe in Wilton, CT.  Not sure how DF they may be.

Conte’s Pasta  - I actually didn’t see them there.  Most of their items contain dairy as well, but not their Potato/Onion Pierogies, nor their Gnocchi.

Deb’s Farmhouse Kitchen  - One of the highlights of the show! Deb’s makes good and hearty cookies (Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin) which are also dairy free and contain whole grain rolled GF oats, almonds, and bean flour but still manages to taste like a cookie! Currently, they are only sold in NY and CT.

Ener-G - One of the oldest gluten free companies. I use their egg replacer still but have switched to newer products for most of their other items.


Gilbert's Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies

Everybody Eats  - all of their samples contained dairy but they do have a handful of dairy free products. Unfortunately, most of their products are extremely expensive.  With the exception of their dairy free chicken ravioli’s some other company is making a much less expensive competitor of their other four DF/GF items.

Enjoy Life  - They weren’t at the fair itself but did send along little goodie sample bags. This bag included a sample of their new large crunchy cookie.

J&L Feel Good Food - this is a brand new company and I can't find much more than a facebook page on them.  It looks like they bake for different farmers markets in the NY area.  Their entire line is GF and they have a couple of DF items too.

Gilbert’s Goodies - They have a variety of very soft cookies.  I've had their bite sized cookies from Whole Foods in the past and am excited that they now are available at the GF Cart at the Prudential Center!  Their entire line is gf/df/nut free/corn free and all but chocolate chips are soy free.

Gluten Free Living Magazine - I actually subscribed to this magazine at last years fair.  Very informative and provided in depth coverage of some important questions: is their gluten in toothpaste?  naturally gf flours? gum? etc. 

Izzi B's Gluten Free Dairy Free Cupcakes

Izzi B’s Allergen Free Cupcakes -  Very attractive cupcakes sold in the freezer case. I gave her a copy my store list so hopefully they will make their way to New Jersey soon!

Jovial Foods - they had a table full of samples of their GF pasta and fig cookies.  You can read my review of their cookies here: Jovial GF Fig Filled Cookies.  Their pasta is good and holds up quite well too.

Juice Plus – I’m not going to include a link here as I just spent 10 minutes on their website and couldn’t find a list of ingredients, nor a guarantee they are gluten free (important considering they do list the 17 fruits/vegetables/grains they source from and oats are included).

Kitchen Table Bakers - They make crackers out of cheese.  That's a big no-no for me!  (Although, I do here they are good.)

Le Garden Bakery – Their website is no longer active.

NJY Camps - This organization runs a summer camp for children. They have recently upgraded their gluten free dining options so all their gf attendees can enjoy the camp!  (They keep kosher so dairy free shouldn't be too tough to manage.)  They had 20 GF campers last year and hope to host even more this year.  They are also planning a fully GF family weekend in June.

The Gluten-Free Guides - they have travel guides for NYC, France, Italy, and Washington, DC.
Gluten Free on a Shoestring -  Nicole from Gluten Free on a Shoestring was there selling her cookbook. This is one of the blogs I follow on a regular basis.

Nugo Nutrition - they make a wide variety of snack bars.  Be careful as only some of their bars are GF/DF.

Organic Bistro/Helen’s Kitchen - I've been meaning to write a review of Organic Bistro for quite some time now.  I usually have a couple of their dinners in my freezer for quick meal if I'm rushed.  They're launching three new varieties: Grass-Fed Beef with Mushroom Sauce (Butter), Wild Salmon with Pesto (Cheese), and Southwest Style Grass-Fed Beef (DF).  All their products are GF and most are DF as well.  Helen's Kitchen is a sister company specializing in Vegetarian/Vegan frozen foods (about half of which are GF as well).

Rudi’s -  I actually prefer Udi’s breads so I ended up skipping this booth. There products tend to be soy free for those who need it.

Three Dogs Gluten Free Bakery - A dedicated GF bakery in Briarcliff Manor, NY. I didn’t get anything from them this year, but have in the past and it is very good. 510 North State Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510.
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The Lunch Buffet was provided by Pizza 2000 but it was too windy outside so we didn’t try it. Their online menu lists only GF pizza and GF pasta in marinara sauce. The buffet appeared to have some additional items, so perhaps they are working on expanding their menu.

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 2)

Continued from Part 1 - Recap of Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease

Pamela's Gluten Free Products

Silver Level Sponsors:

Pamela's - Pamela's had a double table filled with giveaways.  Two-packs of their regular sized cookies, individually wrapped mini-cookies, sample sized mixes, and new for this year: Whenever Bars.  For those who haven't seen them, they are 1.4oz snack bars in Oat Chocolate Chip Coconut, Oat Cranberry Almond, Oat Raisin Walnut, and Oat Blueberry Lemon.  I have three of the four flavors but have only tried the Oat Chocolate Chip Coconut which was quite good.  All are made with GF oats and are both GF and DF.

Glow Gluten Free Cookies

Shoprite - Shoprite had a large booth in the back corner and were sampling some of their products, sharing space with a cook book author, and giving out reusable shopping bags filled with samples.  These included a healthy living magazine (Live Right produced by Shoprite), a guide on living with celiac disease produced with the NFCA, coupon books, Nature's Path WholeO's cereal and a bag of the new Bachman's GF pretzels. 

Glow - Glow makes four flavors of crisp gluten free cookies: Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Double Chocolate, and Ginger Snap.  These are produced in a dedicated GF/DF bakery.  All four were available for sample.

Kettle Cuisine Gluten Free Soups

Kettle Cuisine - Kettle Cuisine was sampling their Angus Beef Steak Chili and Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables.  Since I can't really handle tomatoes I passed, but I did grab a coupon as I do really like their chicken noodle soup.

Soft'n Hearty -They were sampling their Easy Roll Mix which is naturally gluten, soy and dairy free. The mix itself is also egg free but they had made the rolls with egg.  I only eat a small amount of egg and decided to skip these.

Against the Grain - I don't recall seeing them there, and almost every product they make contains dairy so I've never actually tried them.  I just checked their website though and see that they now have two dairy free products as well.

GlutenOut / Agluten – they were selling their products (a line of Italian foods from Italy) but not sampling anything. From what I could see, most of their items contained dairy (ravioli, tiramisu, gnocchi, etc).

Bronze Level Sponsors:

Pure Gluten Free/Vegan Cookies and Snacks

Udi’s - Ah, my favorite GF/DF bread supplier!  I actually ended up skipping their table as I already consume their products (I use their GF/DF hamburger and hot dog buns and make my breakfast sandwiches out of their breads.  I also have their cinnamon raisin bread from time to time and their bagels.).  One quick warning - their cookies contain dairy.  I've previously reviewed a number of their products: Udi's Ancient Grain Breads, Udi's Hotdog Buns, and Udi's Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

Pure - their entire line is gluten free and vegan (and corn, soy and egg free as well!)  They had samples of their product line, the highlight of which was a raspberry thumbprint cookie.  They also have some snacks made from pea flour which were interesting.  They're only in two stores in NJ so far: Organico (495 North Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey, NJ 07446) and Taste of Dawn (192 Main Street, Butler, NJ 07405).

GFL Gluten Free/Dairy Free Pita

Food Should Taste Good - I don't remember seeing them there but Fairway was giving out samples.  They make a great line of GF chips in a dedicated GF factory.  Some of their chips contain dairy including the chocolate and three with 'cheddar' right in the name.  My favorite is their Sweet Potato chip.

GFL Foods – They were at last year's walk as well.  They sell a GF Pita that is really exceptional.  Unfortunately they are a bit expensive (according to their webstore $9 for six).  The only NJ store carrying them so far is DeLiteful Foods (4040 Quakerbridge Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08619).

Mrs. Green’s Natural Market - This is a great small market in NY (10 locations) and CT (2 locations).  They don't have any NJ locations but some are right over the border.

Gluten Free Naked Nuggets



Delight Gluten Free Magazine - they were giving away free issues of their magazine and taking subscriptions.  I haven't gotten to the sample issue (Fall 2011) that they gave me yet, but I did read another sample issue earlier this year.  A lot of very modern recipes and great photos.


Naked Nuggets - These are essentially non-breaded chicken nuggets.  I've had them before (and sampled them again at the fair) and they are quite good.  I'm sure being unbreaded they are much healthier.  Maybe if I had kids and was trying to get them to eat better, I would look at these again.  For now however, this big kid wants his chicken nuggets breaded and deep fried!

El’s Kitchen - They were sampling their bagel chips and snack medley.  All of their products are gluten and dairy free (gfdf) and have a nice kick to them (a touch spicy!)  The snack medley is bagel chips, corn chips, pretzels, corn nuts, and potato chips.

Really Great Food Company Gluten Free Mixes

Really Great Food Company - they had a display of their mixes but weren't demo'ing anything.  They have a very wide variety of mixes (wider than any other company I've seen actually).  I've seen them at Corrado's in Wayne, NJ and according to their website they are available at Balance Health Foods (1239 Rt22E, Lebanon, NJ 08833) and The Sunflower Seed (38 Old Hwy 22, Clinton, NJ 08809).

Mary’s Gone Crackers - Mary's Gone Crackers was handing out samples of their chips, cookies, and 'twigs'.  All of their products are vegan and gluten free and due to the number of whole grains and seeds they use quite nutritious. However, again due to the whole grains and seeds they use their products are quite crunchy as well.

Snack Chicks' GF/DF Herb-An Chicks Snacks

Snack Chicks - these are baked chick peas in four flavors - Sweet (cinnamon sugar), Naked (simply salted), Hot (spicy), and Herb-an (garlic and herb).  They're healthy, crunchy and had good flavor - I just don't like chickpeas and couldn't really get over my bias.  If you like chickpeas or seasoned nuts I would highly recommend trying these.

Katz Gluten Free - I highly recommend their products if you can have egg.  They are made in a dedicated Gluten free, dairy free, and nut free facility.  I find that there is just too much egg in their products for me, but if you can have egg, then go for it.  They have a very diverse product line and are making a number of items that no one else is.  I'm seeing their products in more and more places including lots of independent shops as well as some Shoprites and Fairway.

Dream Desserts - this CT only bakery is making dessert bars that are unfortunately made with dairy ingredients.  If you can have dairy and are in CT, I would suggest you try them.  A friend of mine raved about them and they looked really good!

(Continued)

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 3)



Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 1)

What a day!!!  Thank you so much to those who donated!  The final tally isn't in yet, but through the web forms alone (which only about a dozen people used) over $33,000 was raised!

2011 Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease T-Shirt

We were promised 42 vendors but upon arrival we found the number had swelled to 58!  We arrived about 30 minutes before the walk, checked in, put our lime green t-shirts on and headed into the gymnasium to see whomever had set up already.  (See below for the reviews!)

At 10am we headed outside for the walk itself.  There is a choice of two routes (one four miles, the other two) but they run together for the first mile or so.  At the split, the friend I drove up with decided to take the shorter route and I continued on for the four.  I got back around 11:30 - just in time to have missed the day's guest speaker (the guest speech was on cake baking so I didn't really miss out).  That was my only minor issue with the day, I walk very fast but finishing four miles in the 75 minutes between start and speaker wasn't enough time.

Start of the 2011 Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease

Ah, on to the vendors!

I wasn't sure how to order this list.  There were donation levels in supporting the walk and I've decided to list them by those levels:

Gold Level Sponsors:

97lake Sports Cafe and Restaurant - They didn't finish setting up until after the walk but at that point they had trays and trays of Gluten Free (and Dairy Free) chicken wings.  They had a couple of copies of their menu as well but I'm already very familiar with it - Restaurant Review: 97lake, West Harrison, NY.  In talking with the owner I discovered something interesting.  The gluten free beer they serve, Estrella, is made from Barley, Hops, and Rice but they then filter out the gluten and test to below 6ppm. 



Long Island Sound from Along the Walk Route

Fairway Market - Fairway had an extensive setup at the entrance with lots of assorted samples: Andean Dream cookies, Kind Bars, $10 off coupons, etc.  They were also giving out reusable grocery bags (presumably containing samples) but I ended up not getting one (I already had three by the time I got to their table!)


Schär - They also gave out a reusable grocery bag this one containing a 2-pack of their Baguettes.  They had a mailing list sign up and those who did will be getting a package of Ciabotta rolls in the mail.



EZ Gluten - This company makes individual test strips for testing your food for gluten.  I've seen these before (online) but never ordered them.  The woman at the table demonstrated them and they seem easy enough to use but they cost around $12 each depending on how large your order is.  Their literature says they are sensitive down to 10ppm. 

(Continued)

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 2)

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 3)

October Gluten Free NJ Events Updated

Here are the events for October:

10/2/11 - CSA Southern NJ Meeting (Voorhees, NJ)

10/11/11 - GF Club at Fine Grind Coffee Shop (Little Falls, NJ)

10/12/11 - Celiac Disease Support Group (Phillipsburg, NJ)

10/13/11 - 10th Annual Gala Fundraiser (Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, NYC)

10/16/11 - Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease (Rye, NY)

10/19/11 - Lyndhurst Celiac Support Group Meeting (Lyndhurst, NJ)

3rd Wednesday - Monthly Meeting of Seashore Celiacs (Brick, NJ)

10/20/11 - The Northern NJ Celiac Disease Support Group Monthly Meeting (Paramus, NJ)

You can see the full list on the NJ GF Events Calendar.

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease – October 16, 2011

It’s my favorite time of the year!  No, not because the leaves are changing, nor because Kinnikinnick is offering Pumpkin Spice Donuts (although a box is on the way) but rather because it is time once again for the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease!  Colin Leslie started this walk six years ago after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age 13.  The walk has raised over $280,000 for Celiac research so far! (Not bad for someone who is still a teenager!)

Again this year, the walk will be held at Rye High School in Rye, NY.  In addition to the walk along Long Island Sound (choice of 2 or 4 miles), there will be guest speakers, a gluten free cake contest, lunch available for purchase, and the highlight of the event – a gymnasium full of gluten free vendors!

I’ll be walking again this year and I highly recommend that you attend and walk as well.  The registration page is here: Colin Leslie Celiac Walk Registration Page.  If you can’t make the walk and would like to donate, my donation page is here: Jason's Donation Page for the Colin Leslie Celiac Disease Walk.

I hope to see you all there!

Zephyr Vocal Enseble Dessert Cabaret

This past Saturday night, I attended a dessert cabaret fundraiser for my friend's wife's vocal ensemble - Zephyr.  Since, I've been dairy free for about 21 years (and gluten free for about six) I didn't really have any high hopes for the desserts; I was going mostly to be a supportive friend.  [Ok, I did think it was possible they'd have some mixed fruit like they had after their April concert.]

Zephyr Vocal Ensemble at Saturday night's Dessert Cabaret Fundraiser



Needless to say, I was surprised to see "gluten free desserts" listed on their website when I went to purchase my ticket!  Since I assumed these would contain dairy, I didn't think much of it, but did email my friend to ascertain the 'gluten-freeness' of these desserts so that I could extend the invitation to some GF friends of mine. 

Turns out, the woman baking them keeps a totally gluten free household as four of the five people in that house follow a gluten free diet.  (And the fifth eats gluten free in the house.)

The concert was terrific and when I finally looked at the dessert table, I was shocked to see that one of the two gluten free desserts (the Jewish Apple Cake) was dairy free as well!  (The French Chocolate Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream certainly wasn't!)  Sadly, by this time the battery in my camera had died and I don't have a photo of it. 

I will keep you all posted if there's going to be gluten free desserts at any of their future events!  Of course, if you're in the Sussex county area and just like live music, there's an event calendar on their website here:  Zephyr Vocal Ensemble.

If you're looking for other gluten free events check here:

NJ Gluten Free Event Calendar

L. Lodico Walk for Celiac Disease - Sunday, June 5, 2011 in Bayside, NY

Next Sunday is the L.Lodico Walk for Celiac Disease at Fort Totten in Bayside (Queens), NY.  I went last year and am going again this year with a couple of gluten free friends of mine. All donations will go to the Celiac Sprue Association.  The website for the walk isn't the best, but here is the link for the forms you'll need (waiver, registration, directions, pledge form): Click here for walk forms and their main site is here: Click here for main walk site. 

The event opens at 10am and the walk starts at 11am.  I would recommend getting there on the earlier side as last year there was quite a bit of traffic between the Throgs Neck Bridge and the park and the parking area isn't the biggest.

In addition to the walk, they will have a number of gluten free vendors sampling and selling their products.

After the walk, my friends and I are going to drive down to Bellmore, NY and try the Bare Naked Bakery & Cafe - a 100% gluten free bakery/cafe!  (Oh, and about half of the menu is dairy free as well!)  I'll be sure to write a full review of both the walk and the food afterwards.