CeliacChicks

Gluten-Free BBQ Invitation (NYC)

Since it is very clear that you want to partay...

Here is a pdf of the invitation in case you are having trouble reading it.

I recently stumbled upon Mickey John's pub, which has a very cute outdoor patio area. We've opted to have the BBQ before the Friedman's event in order to take advantage of the summer weather. The Friedman's event will take place sometime in September.

Hope you can make it! Any questions? Just ask.

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Gluten-Free Starbucks, Rice Chex and More...

Vote for gluten-free treats at Starbucks!! While you are at it, post a comment recommending which gluten-free food you would like to enjoy with your coffee! Maybe dreams do come true!

In case you haven't heard yet, the latest buzz is that new boxes of gluten-free Rice Chex will be appearing on your grocery store shelves soon!

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In New York City...

Don't miss the Italian feast being served at the Pizzabolla meetup this coming Saturday, April 5th.

Food Matters prepared foods are now available at the Natural Gourmet Market located at 325 Third Avenue. (212) 228-9133

Monday, April 7th (6:30-9:30) will be another special hands on evening at Cooking By The Book in Tribeca. Enjoy good wine and company as a chef instructs your intimate group on how to create an impressive gluten-free meal. The cost is $220 per person and benefits the Celiac Disease Center At Columbia University. There are only a few spots left so contact Cynthia Beckman for more details.   

Be sure to sign up for our free email alerts. I have some really fun food giveaways coming up that you won't want to miss!

Juicy Gluten-Free Gossip

I was just informed that someone in the Paul Taylor Dance Company family has celiac disease! I'm not at liberty to disclose who this is, but he will be at our pre-performance reception!

Time is running out if you haven't bought your tickets for tomorrow nights event yet. When purchasing tickets remember to use the code that benefits Columbia University Celiac Disease Center!

See ya!

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The Food Matters website is now live and they not only deliver locally, but will ship anywhere in the United States. Heck, even Fab Grandma got some out in the boonies! Check out the new items that include gluten-free chicken parm and gluten-free meatballs! [drool]

Nationwide Celiac Disease Conferences & Events 2008

Dr. Peter Green with Mikhail Baryshnikov at last year's Paul Taylor Dance Event. (above) Purchase your tickets now for this year's event which will take place on March 5th in New York City.

FEBRUARY
(NFCA) National Foundation For Celiac Awareness Cooking Sprees
February 26, 2008 Anheuser-Busch Brewery Center
St. Louis, Missouri

APRIL
(NFCA) National Foundation For Celiac Awareness Cooking Spree
April 11, 2008 Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Washington D.C.

Gluten-Free Baking Invitational
April 5-6 Johnson & Wales University
Denver, Colorado
Local chefs can enter to compete in a gluten-free baking competition.

MAY
Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF)Annual Education Conference And Food Fair
Saturday, May 3rd
Good Samaritan Hospital
Los Angeles, California

Canadian Celiac Association
The Gluten Free Festival
May 9-11th in Victoria B.C. at the Empress Hotel  (Uh, the hotel alone is good enough reason to go!)

JUNE
L. Lodico Walk For Celiac Disease
Sunday, June 1st Little Bay Park
Queens, NY

Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) Annual Education Conference
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
June 6 and 7, 2008

SEPTEMBER
The 3rd Annual Gluten-Free Culinary Summit
September 19-21, 2008
Providence, Rhode Island

OCTOBER
Celiac Sprue Asssociation 31st Annual Conference
October 17-19, 2008
La Vista, Nebraska

If you have any events you would like to add to this list, please feel free to post the information in a comment below.

***DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR OUR MAILING LIST! WE'LL BE GIVING AWAY MORE FUN STUFF SOON!***

Vote For Martha Stewart To Go Gluten-Free!

The blogging software company I use emailed me today bragging about some high profile bloggers that have joined the blogosphere. I couldn't resist clicking on the Martha Stewart link and to my surprise her latest entry mentions that one of her editors is gluten-free along with other food issues! Turns out she is having a contest and we can vote for the staff member that has the best new idea for her empire. Of course I voted for Alexis, the one behind the idea for a new gluten- free/food allergy related Martha magazine. I thought this was a great opportunity for all of us to encourage Martha to help us and at the same time help educate the general public about celiac disease.

Please go to the site and vote for Alexis!
Don't forget.... you can vote once a day until February 7th!

The Gluten-Free Diet And Bone Density Study

This sounds like a great opportunity to get top notch care from leading experts for many years!

Check this out:

Are you newly diagnosed with celiac disease?
If so, you may be eligible to join a study being done at Columbia Presbyterian University Medical Center examining the impact of celiac disease on your skeleton and following the effect of a gluten-free diet on density and quality.

Osteoporosis is one of the most common complications of celiac disease. And, approximately 75% of newly diagnosed patients with CD have some degree of bone loss.

Dr. Elizabeth Shane, Professor of Medicine at the Metabolic Bone Diseases Unit is working with Dr. Peter Green, Director of the Celiac Disease Center to examine the effect of a gluten-free diet on bone growth and regeneration.

They will be utilizing a new machine that can actually "see" the structure and matrix of the inside of the bone as well as its density.

If you are:
1- Planning to start or have recently started on a gluten-free diet
2- Able to travel to Columbia University Medical Center Columbia Presbyterian in NYC
3- Interested in more information,

Please contact:
Halley Eisenberg
At : (212)342-5725

Gluten-Free Happenings In NYC, New Jersey And Long Island

NYC
Cooking Class
Tonight: Friday January 18th
Whole Foods
95 East Houston Street
Between Bowery and Chrystie Streets
Gluten-free with Flair (Hands On)
6:30–9:00 p.m.    $55
Join Chef Karen Morgan, Whole Foods Market bakery guru, as she creates sweet masterpieces minus the gluten. This class is perfect for those looking to embellish their gluten-free repertoire or home bakers wanting to add to their dessert portfolio.
Instructor: Karen Morgan
On the menu: Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie, Fruit Crisp, Anti-Bread Pudding
Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
Check out the Whole Foods website for more information about attending. Sorry about the short notice, but I just found out about this.

New NYC Gluten-Free Menu
Gourmet Land
1588 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10028
212-772-8700
Gourmet Land is back with a new gluten-free menu. I’ve been told that their chef, Chef Ding, was formerly an executive chef at P.F. Changs.

If you’d like to celebrate the new menu and enjoy a 20 item prix fix meal, check out the Meetup Saturday, February 2nd from 3pm-6pm.  Snaps to the NYC Meetups leaders for the time and energy invested in order to make this possible.

It’s Official
Babycakes is now certified gluten-free! Their lab tests came out below 5ppm! Congrats to Babycakes! BTW, 5ppm is the lowest amount of gluten detectable by tests.

NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Gluten-Free Food Fair
Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 12:00 PM
The Gluten Free Market Vendor Fair
7-09 Fair Lawn Ave
Fair Lawn , NJ 07410
201-703-5500
This is just a hop, skip and a jump over the river and is easily accessible by public transportation. Check out the Jersey City Meetups Group for more information.

LONG ISLAND
Bowling For Columbia
This will be the first annual Bowling Bash to benefit the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. 
Date:  Sunday, March 9, 2008
Time:  1:00 – 4:00 pm
Location:  AMF Syosset Lanes
111 Eileen Way, Syosset, NY  11791
Unlimited bowling, gluten-free refreshments and silent auction.
Adults $40
Children $25 (12 & under)
See this Download bowling_bainvitation and registration form for more details.
For additional information, please contact hosts Rob & Randi Albertelli.

Join Us For Gluten-Free Fun, Food, And Fundraising

Arden Court photo courtesy of Paul B. Goode. 

Here is your personal invitation to join us Wednesday, March 5th at 7pm for an awe-inspiring performance by the world reknowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. A significant portion of each ticket will benefit the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.  Last year we had a great time and we expect this year to be even better! Foods By George will generously be providing gluten-free food before the performance (starting at 5:45pm) and gluten-free dessert after the performance. Ticket prices are $35, $65, and $120. Where else can you get a threefold return (as in food, an unforgettable show, and then more food) on your dollar in one evening? Oh, and along with that you'll have a great time mingling as well as a good feeling knowing that your evening out helped an organization that is making strides to better understand, and therefore, better manage celiac disease! See you there!

***In order for your purchase to benefit the Celiac Center at Columbia University you must be sure to include code: CDC when buying your tickets. More detailed information can be found in your personal invitation.***

Phew!

The Original Pancake House in Portland, Oregon.

*** Wow! You guys deserve a big pat on the back for your emails to The Original Pancake House after I originally wrote this. Please read the good news from the corporate headquarters along with a very polite request to stop emailing them! They got the point! ***

What a crazy couple of weeks! I'm happy to say that the hosting problems, eye infection*, and terrible head cold are all gone! I'm hoping this finds everyone else in the best of health, and if this is not the case, I swear by my chicken soup, astragalus, elderberry extract and colloidal silver nasal spray.

Here are some fun emails I've recently received that you may find helpful and exciting:

DENVER, COLORADO & POSSIBLY NATIONWIDE
The Original Pancake House is now testing out serving gluten-free pancakes at these locations:

8000 E. Belleview
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
303.224.0093

5900 S. University Blvd. Ste D
Greenwood Village, CO 80121
303.795.0573

Depending on the test market results in Denver, franchises nationwide might have the opportunity to serve gluten-free pancakes too!  So, if you are in Denver, please show them that we want our gluten-free pancakes! All of us everywhere else can email them and tell them about how excited we would be to eat gluten-free pancakes at our local OPH. BTW,  the orignial  OPH is in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. We always used to take tourist friends there.  My brother Jim uses any excuse to go there. Even when I'm in town visiting, "Hey, let's go to OPH!"  It would be soooo nice to order some pancakes there again!

NEW YORK CITY

Don't forget about Mozzarelli's Pizza Party this Sunday the 16th.  Everything at the restaurant will be gluten-free! If you haven't checked out Mozzarelli's pizza yet, now is the time! It's amazing! Possibly the best gluten-free slice in NYC.

BROOKLYN

Paco sent in this hot tip:

I was talking to the owner of my local and favorite bar, Floyd in downtown Brooklyn and got him to start stocking Redbridge, Budweiser's gluten free beer. It's just in bottles, not on tap or anything, but still is pretty impressive as I haven't really seen many bars stocking it. The bar is really a great place, even family and dog friendly with a casual, comfy living room feel and an indoor bocce court that sometimes has league games and other times just is open for anyone to play.

I though you might want to spread the gluten free word, and give a shout out to the really cool owner, Jim, for catering to our needs.
Please let your Brooklyn based gluten free friends know about it!


 NEW BLOGGER ( Well, new to us. )

Gluten-Free In South Africa

So, that's it for now. I'll be playing catch up with some more fun news in the days to come.

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*If you wear contact lenses and you use a "no rub" solution then you are at risk of getting a bacterial eye infection. In order to avoid this go back to rubbing your lenses for ten seconds with the solution daily.  My eye Dr. told me that they are changing all of the packaging on the "no rub" solution packages because these solutions do not work for just rinsing and wearing.  I really don't want anyone to have to go through the recent infection that I've just had to deal with. It is not pretty and it is not fun!

 

Free Gluten-Free Pizza & Beer Tasting Update

Wow! What an overwhelming response we received from so many self-sacrificing individuals out there who are willing to give up a weeknight to come and taste gluten-free pizza and beer! Homey would be proud!  Seriously, the marketing company involved was touched by your sincere comments, gluten-free backgrounds, and willingness to join together in order to help them to better help us.

Just for the record, I had nothing to do with who was chosen, the company involved did that. If you were chosen you should be receiving an email shortly with details about the event. If you weren't chosen this time, hang tight because they are more than likely going to do more tastings like this in the future. Also, if you are just finding out about this and would be interested in participating, please feel free to post a comment on the previous post with the appropriate info and you will also be added to the list for future tastings.

Cheers!

FREE Gluten-Free Pizza & Beer Tasting

This is my Simpson's avatar I've been meaning to share with you. I'm walking to meet Homey for some gluten-free beer!

A marketing firm that represents a company in the gluten-free category has asked me to round up some willing volunteers to join them as their guests next Monday or Tuesday night in NYC for gluten-free pizza and beer. I know the skeptical New Yorker inside of you is thinking, "What's the catch, nothing is ever free?!" Well, all they want is our input on gluten-free beer. That's it. You might call it a focus group, but I'm calling it a fun free dinner!

If you are interested, please post a comment below with your email address, age, and whether you have tried gluten-free beer before. If you are chosen you will be notified by email. There is room for twenty people. The location will be revealed to you once you are notified that you are officially invited. Oh, and don't worry, you don't have to use your real name in your comment with all of those juicy details about yourself!

Photos From The Metropolitan Club

Wednesday night was the 6th Annual Celiac Disease Center Gala Reception. The theme of this year's benefit was "Advancing Early Detection".  All of the food was gluten-free and the event was at the gorgeous Metropolitan Club.  It was really fun to meet so many people that I had previously only known through emails.

It was difficult with the limited lighting to take a photo of this amazingly beautiful space, but I tried. This room had a table full of delicious gluten-free salads and appetizers. Of course, what really made the evening special was the good company!

Dr. Peter Green addressed the crowd in the dining area. Congrats to Dr. Green for his article that was published yesterday in the New England Journal Of Medicine! 

Remember Gordon Jenkins, aka The Breadless Horseman, the adventurous guy who hiked the Appalachian Trail to raise money for the Columbia Celiac Center?  It was really fun to meet him in person! Here he is with my new friend, Megan.

Here are Mr. & Mrs. Jenkins, the proud parents of The Breadless Horseman. This sweet southern belle is going to come up with a gluten-free traditional southern sugar cake recipe to share with us all!

George and Ceil of Foods By George were there too!

Remember Dr. Doug Hertford, who gave us the skinny on Blue Smoke having a gluten-free menu? Well, I finally had the pleasure of meeting him and his charming wife, Amy.

Here is the lovely Mrs. Green, as in Dr. Peter Green's wife (left), and Dr. LaPook (center) with his wife, Kate Lear (right).  Does anyone have "the perfect gluten-free cupcake recipe" they'd like to share with Kate?

I found my buddies Steven Singer (left) of GlutenFree.com and Alan Olshan from the Paul Taylor Dance Company (right).

It was a really great night and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again at the next fundraiser.

Thank You!

Raspberry sorbet from Grom

This last weekend was very busy. Saturday I met Shauna, aka Gluten-Free Girl, at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. It was fun to meet her and see what seemed like a cast of characters from her blog in person.

Whether you're a fan of hers or not, we all owe Gluten-Free Girl a big "Thank You" for all of the awareness of celiac disease she has created.  She somehow magically got herself on the Food Network in a short "commercial" about eating gluten-free. Who knows how many millions of people that reached when played over and over again for weeks?  Now with her new book there is a virtual book tour by mostly A-list bloggers that will reach thousands of people!  I have emailed some well known bloggers with big audiences in the past explaining celiac disease, eating gluten-free, and how some of their readers are no doubt undiagnosed. I was hoping that since their blogs are centered around food they would be interested in writing about celiac disease and/or gluten-free foods. Unfortunately, they weren't able to write about it, at least at that time. So, here comes along Shauna with her book and some big bloggers are now finally talking about celiac disease and eating gluten-free. Wow!

If you've been struggling with your attitude about eating gluten-free or any other diet restrictions, Shauna's book may help you out with changing your perception from a negative one to a positive one.

Again, thank you, Shauna! [the Beatles song "Thank You Girl" plays in the background]

After the Strawberry Fields meeting we mozied on over to Grom, which has been praised by the NY Times, many food bloggers, and Shauna after eating at one on her honeymoon in Italy. The management stated in an email that all flavors are gluten-free with the exception of nougat, crema di grom and tiramisu. 

The faces above show the tastiness of Grom gelato. I chatted it up with a mom (far left) in line and one of her daughters can't have any artificial food colorings. This was definitely a special treat. Grom may very well be the best gelato in the world due to their high standards for quality seasonal ingredients.

Vanilla and pistachio gelato.

Sunday we met up with Shauna and The Chef at the Colin Leslie Walk For Celiac Disease Awareness in Rye, NY.  Let me tell you, Rye is one of the cutest towns ever!  Imagine going to high school in what looks like a castle. Must be nice. It was nice to see all of the familiar faces from the gf vendor fair scene, and to meet all of the new people that came up to our table. And a big "thank you" goes out to sixteen year old Colin for putting the walk together. Last year he raised over $60,000. I'm excited to find out how much money was raised this year.

Oh, and Soul Dog was serving food at the walk and I was disappointed (due to my corn allergy) to find out that all of their gluten-free baked goods contain corn in some form , but if their black bean soup was an indicator of how good the rest of their food is, then it's definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Poughkeepsie.

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One last HUGE "Thank You" goes to Heidi Collins for her efforts to have celiac disease discussed every day this week on CNN!!!

Free Fall

The signs are everywhere: pumpkins, squirrels chasing after falling acorns, crumpled leaves blanketing the pavement, apples. Cozy lighting keeps me content inside my homey home unlike the summer sun that invited us outside to play. [deep breath] After our Indian Summer here in the city, Fall is finally here!

This CeliacChick has grown tired of moonlighting. Corporate job by day, CeliacChick blogger by night- if I have the energy.  Reminds me of the saying,"The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak".  So many interesting things on my to do list, but not much time or energy to share them with you, until now. Yay!  I've taken a whole month of vacation from my day job in order to, first and foremost, catch my breath. I'm a homebody at heart forced into the daily grind.  I have it good at my day job, only gratefulness for that really, but I love CeliacChicks. It's my creative outlet.  So, this time will hopefully help me to turn a new leaf, a fresh dewy start on catching up with you and other projects in order to return to work refreshed. Yes, this break will definitely limit the crisp dollar bills in my wallet, but I'm confident it will mentally and physically be worth every penny!

Many of you have asked me, "Where is Kim?"  Yes, we've missed Kim and her wit here in the gluten-free world. Well, Kim is taking a break for awhile.  She has been super busy with her stressful job combined with living in her new house while doing a complete remodel. When I say "complete remodel" I mean down-to-the-skeleton-of-the-house remodel. I think you understand.

So Toots, you're stuck with me for the time being. Don't worry, there is a lot to look forward to: giveaways, book reviews, restaurant reviews, fun new products and recipes, heck, there's even a trip to Disneyland! 

This week is starting things off with a bang being that our cyber friend, Gluten-free Girl (and The Chef),  will be in town and we can share in the celebration of her recent wedding and exciting book debut at Strawberry Fields in Central Park this Saturday.  Please come for fun and bring a gluten-free treat to share, if you wish.

This coming Sunday there is the Colin Leslie walk in Rye, NY.  Hope to see you there...and I'll see you online more frequently!

Excuse me while I go peruse my recipe collection...oh, and any requests out there?

Wining, Dining & Schmoozing

Here's some gluten-free/dairy-free, but thank heaven not alcohol-free, penne a la vodka that I made this weekend and will definitely be making again.  I've become smitten with Smitten Kitchen lately and found the recipe there. Follow Deb's directions except substitute the pasta for your gf pasta of choice and the cream for coconut milk. I know it sounds weird, but don't worry, it is delicious!

I'm also intrigued by Steamy Kitchen, which actually has a gluten-free recipe category! A friend sent me a link to Jadyn's How To Turn Cheap "Choice" Steaks Into Gucci "Prime" Steaks recipe that explains the science behind how salt tenderizes meat. I had to try it and it's true! It really works!

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October Events

Hear Dr. Green at the Suffolk County Celiac Group meeting in Long Island October 2nd. Seating is limited to 150 people.

The NYC Insitute Of Culinary Education (ICE) will be offering a gluten-free gourmet cooking class October 12th from 6pm-10pm.

Gluten Free Girl will be in NYC for events surrounding her new book the weekend of October 12th. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

See you Sunday October 14th at the Colin Leslie Walk For Celiac Disease in Rye, NY.

If you live in Atlanta be sure to register for the NFCA's Cooking Spree to be held on Friday, October 19th.

Big spenders are invited to the Celiac Disease Center At Columbia University's 6th annual gala Wednesday, October 24th from 6:30-9:30pm at the NYC Metropolitan Club.  Tickets are $350. Contact Cynthia Beckman for more information.

Meme & Macy's

Need an excuse to shop?!

Donate $5 to the National Foundation For Celiac Awareness and get a Macy's 20% off card for October 13th. In addition you will be entered to win a $500 shopping spree at Macy's, home appliances and other good stuff. Check it out at at the NFCA site and click on the Macy's logo. Happy Shopping!

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Just for fun let's do a meme.  I was recently tagged by Cat at Gluten Free Guide.

Here are seven random facts about me:

1) I'm the only girl out of four boys in my family. I've earned the title Princess/Tomboy.
2) I once was on stage with Chris Isaac!!!! 
3) I used to be a sugarholic.
4) My mom once gave me a Tennille haircut, but it really looked more like a bowl.
5) I was a nanny for six years.
6) I can't stand ketchup or mustard, but I love mayo.
7) I have two books signed by Art Buchwald.

I'm tagging new gluten-free blogger Gluten Free For Good.

CeliacChicks In La La Land

Pictured above is an assortment of Almond Glory products.

I had a great time at the Celiac Disease Foundation's Annual Conference in the City of Angels. Well over 300 people attended and over 50 vendors participated. Here are some photos of the interesting vendors that I met and the tasty new products that were featured.

Gayle Meyers (above) is the baker behind Almond Glory.  Low carb, sugar-free, soy-free, good for you and delicious! Even my gluten glutton relatives liked the almond based pizza crust!  Almond Glory is based out of Los Angeles, but you can still buy from any location online.

Here we are:  Me (I'm not sure where the hand-on-hip attitude came from at that moment.) , Eugenie from The Sensitive Baker, and my sis-in-law Traci who filled in as an honorary CeliacChick for the event.

Are you ready L.A. for your first gluten-free and kosher retail bakery?!!  The Sensitive Baker will be opening it's doors soon sometime in June! They ran out of their delicious waffles before I had a chance to photograph them. I can't wait to sample more of their goods next time I'm in town.

Cameo, of Crave Bakery based in San Francisco, poses with her pumpkin pies. She told me to look for her new lemon tarts coming out soon. (Some might say she's quite the tart herself!)

Mrs. & Mr. Tom Sawyer of Tom Sawyer Flour are the people responsible for Pizza Picazzo serving gluten-free pizzas. Thanks again!

Sergio models the latest lollipops at Yummy Earth Candy which is very Kelly-friendly!! No corn-syrup and no artificial nothin'. Double Yay!!

The GlutenFreeda girls pose with their delicious Real Cookies. My gluten glutton brother fell in love with their chocolate mint cookies.

Jigsaw bars contain 12 grams of protein. These are especially great if you are avoiding soy. Kim loves'em. These would be a handy snack to carry around in case you get in a gluten-free food scarcity bind. They come in coconut almond and chocolateflavors.

The Montina Man poses with , well, what else but Montina! I have yet to experiment with my Montina grain. Any comments or recipes?

Those friendly Canuck's at Kinnikinnick actually found something without corn in it for me! The animal cracker/cookies are corn-free.

Here are those silly Xocai "the healthy chocolate" guys grinning with the CeliacChicks buttons they snagged! Ashton (far right) is modeling the CeliacChicks Seitan Is Evil tshirt.

I'd like to give a big "Thank You!" to Deborah and Elaine, the ladies behind the Celiac Disease Foundation , for all of their efforts in making this event a success for everyone! You look fabulous girls!

GF News

SALE!
We've slashed prices at the Chick Couture Awareness Boutique! Some prices are nearly $10.00 lower! We'd like to remind you that a percentage of the proceeds from our online sales will be dispersed in equal amounts among these non-profit celiac disease organizations:

Celiac Center at Columbia University
Celiac Disease Foundation
Celiac Sprue Association
Gluten Intolerance Group
National Foundation For Celiac Awareness

RESTAURANTS
Risotteria is now open again for business. Here is an article from the NYTimes that gives a balanced view of the recent Greenwich Village restaurant situation. We know we'll soon be going back to enjoy the infamous Risotteria!

After a looong wait, Gus' Place has re-opened! This was one of the first GFRAP restaurants Kim and I ever went to. In fact, remember our Time Out NY mag interview? It took place with Jennifer Romolini at Gus' Place. We've missed you Gus!

EVENTS
The Suffolk County Vendor Fair is coming up Sunday April 29th. Around 1200+ are expected to attend. Whoa! We'll see you there.

NEW BLOGGERS
Ever dream of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail? Kim and I did after reading Bill Bryson's hilarious  A Walk In The Woods. Gordon McLeod Jenkins, aka The Breadless Horseman, has had the same dream, only he is realizing it as a gluten-free hiker. Read about his adventures along 2,175 miles of trails in his efforts to raise money for Columbia University Celiac Center. You ROCK, Gordon!

As one who lives a gluten-free lifestyle, you might enjoy the romantic story of a girl falling in love with a chef that can fulfill all of her gluten-free culinary dreams. Sound familiar? Well, Karen Morgan's blog, The Art Of Gluten Free Cooking, offers this theme with an international twist. She married a French trained chef; French, as in schooled at the legendary La Varenne: Ecole de Cuisine in Paris.  They even cooked together last summer at a friend's gorgeous chateau in the small town of Nans Sous Ste. We look forward to the stories and treats cooked up by Karen and her chef.
   
 

Thank You!

Dr. Green chatting it up with Mikhail Baryshnikov before the dance event started.

If you didn't have a chance to attend the Paul Taylor Dance Company event this year, make sure to attend next year! (tentative dates for 2008 are 2/25-3/18*) Considering there only were around forty of us in attendance, we still managed to make the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University over $500 dollars and had an amazing evening at the same time! I had never seen a Paul Taylor production before and it was absolutely mesmerizing. It's really almost indescribable. Beautiful, thought provoking, and at times humorous. To those of you who are thinking, "I'm so not into modern dance...", take note that my skeptical boyfriend ended up loving it.  And remember, besides being a do-gooder, you'll get to mingle with interesting people beforehand, munch on goodies and savor some wine in the very chic Malsin room at City Center.

Fellow gf blogger Catherine (pictured left) and friend.

These very tasty treats were generously provided by Foods By George.

Sisters Linda and Susan Senk.

(Left to right) John Mountain, Ceil of Foods By George, Dr. Green, and moi.

It was so nice to meet so many of you for the first time.  I wish I could have met you all! (What a bad hostess of me, but the time just went by so fast. *shrug*) Thank you to everyone that came. I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did and hopefully we'll all be reunited again soon. Another really big thank you goes to Alan Olshan for approaching us with this opportunity and to Ceil and George for providing the food!

*If a Friday night would work better for you than a Thursday night next year please post a comment and let us know.

Redbridge Party At Centrico

This last weekend Redbridge beer hosted an invitation-only benefit dinner for the NFCA at Centrico restaurant.

Centrico chef and Food Network star, Aaron Sanchez, created a completely gluten-free gourmet mexican dinner. He emanated a totally sincere vibe as he gushed about what a privilege he felt it was to create a special gluten-free dining experience for us. (Some girls claim that Aaron is quite the dish himself!)

Of course, Redbridge brew flowed freely and was the perfect compliment to the spicy mexican flavors.

Here is Alice Bast of the NFCA introducing Kristi Zantop, one of the Anheuser-Busch brewmasters behind the creation of Redbridge. Everyone was really excited to meet a woman brewmaster. Kristi explained how they want us to drink Redbridge out of a glass. You should pour the beer so that it doesn't run down the side of the glass, but hits smack on the bottom of the glass. This creates the perfect head along with releasing some of the carbonation, resulting in a more defined taste. She told us that beer even compliments certain desserts, like the coconut flan we would be enjoying later that evening.

Here Elisabeth Hasselbeck and friends listen intently to the brewmaster. I met Elisabeth later that evening and she was super nice. She told me to tell you that The View is doing an in depth segment on celiac disease this next Wednesday March 14th.  Also, remember my little stunt at The View?  Well, she actually did get the CeliacChicks tshirt! She explained that the reason it's taken her so long to "come out" about celiac disease, was because she was self-diagnosed and until she was able to get the gene test to confirm it, she didn't feel it was very responsible to claim she had a "disease" when  she wasn't sure. That makes sense to me, especially for a public figure.

Here, Heidi Collins, the new official spokesperson for the NFCA and friends have a good laugh. I actually sat across from Heidi and her husband Matt at dinner. Very nice, down to earth people.

My photo of the mahi a la veracuzana entree didn't do it justice, so I decided to spare you. Here is a photo of my smoked pumpkin soup with canela cream. Isn't it pretty? There were so many different flavors going on in this, especially smoke and cumin. Very interesting.

Ahhh, coconut flan!  MMMmmmm.  The evening couldn't have ended any sweeter. For those of you who know I don't normally do dairy, yes, it was worth the rash!

We'd like to give a big thank you to everyone that helped to make this evening a success!

Gluten-free Scoop

Recipe Find
Now is the perfect weather for Dad's Fish Stew at Simply Recipes. It's delicious, healthy and fairly inexpensive to make. Thanks!, Dad.

GlutenFreeda is now FREE the next three months for recipe perusing.

Sad News
Our beloved Risotteria was closed by the BOH last Friday, March 2nd. Fellow NYC celiac blogger, David Marc Fischer, has some more info on the situation. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know what the real deal is. We wish them the best.

New Bloggers
Catherine of Gluten Free Guide based in NYC just covered the NFCA Cooking Spree in great detail.

Jennifer of Jennifer Ate is a professional writer for various magazines and just did a great write up about the NFCA Cooking Spree on Epicurious.

Seamaiden of Book Of Yum resides in California.  I knew Seamaiden as a regular poster to the SillyYaks Yahoo group. I always wondered why she didn't start her own recipe blog. She's very adventurous in the kitchen and mostly vegetarian.

Events
Don't forget to buy your tickets for the Paul Taylor dance event to benefit Columbia University Celiac Center.  There is limited room for the Gluten-free reception provided by Foods By George.

Benefit Others While You Benefit Yourself

Promethean Fire (photo credit: Lois Greenfield)

Recently I was enlightened. I was contacted by veteran celiac, Alan Olshan of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, with an opportunity to raise money for the celiac charity of our choice, while at the same time bringing people to experience an evening with one of the most respected dance companies in our nation. I have to admit, I was a dance ignoramus having never seen or even heard of the Paul Taylor Co. before. After viewing the academy award nominated documentary, Paul Taylor: Dancemaker, I can tell you that these people are dedicated to the art of dance. Some dancers have been willing to dance for free just to be associated with a dance company, that in their world, reigns supreme. Their definition of "making it" isn't in monetary terms, but in knowing they've blown their joints working with a creative genius. I used to be shy about clapping and standing ovations, but now that I know the behind the scenes passion and sacrifice of these stage performers, I will never be shy in the spectators seat again.

We would like to invite you Thursday March 15th at 7pm to join us for an enchanted evening and performance by the world renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. 25% of all proceeds will be donated to the Columbia University Celiac Disease Center. Please order your ticket soon, since space is limited for the pre-performance gluten-free reception (at 5:30 to 6:45), graciously provided by Foods By George.

Click here for details on how to purchase tickets....

The Hottest Ticket In Town

Here is your personal invitation to the NFCA Gluten Free Cooking Spree in NYC.

Buy your tickets now!

Don't live in NYC? The NFCA Cooking Spree will be coming soon to the following cities:

Washington D.C. - May 4th
Atlanta - October 27th
Philadelphia - April 27th
San Francisco - June 8th
St. Louis - (to be determined)   
Boston - (to be determined)

We'll let you know when tickets are available for these additional cities.

If you would like to donate something to the event's silent auctions or have a product you'd like to contribute to the goodie bags, please contact Vanessa@celiaccentral.org or Abast@celiaccentral.org.

XII Int'l Celiac Disease Symposium 2006 Gala

Here are some fun pictures from the event at the Musuem of Natural History after the first day of the symposium. That is the famous dinosaur skeleton in the background.

Risotto puffs

Shelley Case and Kelly

GF Buffet

Us with Yvan Poulin and Steven Singer, guys from GlutenFree.com

Anne Roland Lee and Kelly

Celiac Disease hunks, Dr. Peter Green with Prof. Mulder from Amsterdam, and adoring fans.

Kelly with Elaine Monarch and Deborah Ceizler of Celiac Disease Foundation

Alice Bast and Vanessa Maltin (2nd and 3rd from left) of NFCA and friends

Kong and Kelly

Quartet

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Side Note:

Here's your chance to listen to that australian accent again! Tune in to hear Dr. Peter Green interviewed on Oprah and Friends XM Satellite Radio Channel 156!!

Dr. Mehmet Oz interviews Dr. Green on Celiac Disease.  This interview airs
on Thursday, November 30th at 7am, 1pm, and 7pm Eastern Standard Time.

Please visit http://www.xmradio.com/  or
http://www2.oprah.com/xm/xm_landing.jhtml
for more information.

See Dr. Green Live!

Hear: Lecture titled Why Celiac Disease Is An Emerging Epidemic
Peter H.R. Green, MD, is the director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, a professor of clinical medicine at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the author of Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic

One in every 100 people in the United States is affected by this autoimmune condition and 97% of them are undiagnosed. Discover how this inflammatory condition of the intestines can affect every system in the body and why it is important to get a proper diagnosis.

When: Tuesday, November 28th, 6:30pm

Where: The 92nd St. Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10128

How: To order tickets call 212.415.5500 OR visit the box office in the main lobby OR purchase online at www.92y.org.

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Appetite For Awareness Event 2006

We recently attended the annual Appetite for Awareness fundraiser organized by the NFCA. It took us over four hours, due to traffic, to get to Haddonfield, NJ, but it was worth it. Imagine going to a party where everything served is gluten-free! The evening's events started with NFCA announcements and updates by Alice Bast,founder of the NFCA, and one of the coolest celiac chick activists we know. This was followed by the honoring of Dr. Anthony J. DiMarino, Jr., a doctor who's been working hard to spread awareness throughout the medical community.  This successful event raised $170,000!  You can be sure that the funds will be going to a powerhouse team that couldn't be more driven to generate large scale attention for celiac disease awareness leading to diagnosis and research. While rubbing shoulders, we overheard that they're working on the creation of a Public Service Announcement for television! The ultimate goal for the year is to raise a total of $300,000. If you'd like to help with either your time or your funds please contact the NFCA today.

Hosts J.C. & Susan Henry.

Alice Bast, Founder & Executive Director of NFCA and Nancy Ginter.

The honored Dr. Anthony J. DiMarino, Jr.(far right) and friends.

Me, Vanessa Maltin, new author of Beyond Rice Cakes, and Kim.

Author Jax Peters Lowell and Lee Tobin director of Whole Foods GF Bakery.

Kelly with Kendall Egan of Gluten-Free Living magazine.

Lee Tobin and Ann Whelan, editor and publisher of Gluten-Free Living.

More pictures...

Walks And Talks

-Turn this coming lazy Sunday into an opportunity to raise money for Columbia University Celiac Disease Center at the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease 2006.

-Mark your calendar and make sure to register for the fast approaching and sure to be legendary  XII International Celiac Disease Symposium 2006.

Fancy That

We have finally recuperated from the seemingly endless grazing at the NASFT Fancy Food Show this past Sunday at the Jacob Javits Center. Phew! Although it was humanly impossible to check out all of the 1800 domestic exhibits and 500 international ones, we had a great time randomly strolling about seeing what new and interesting gluten-free foods we could find. It was our first time attending this business event where buyers meet vendors in order to sample their goods and exchange contact information. Lots of yummy products were looking for new store shelves to call their home. New or foreign food manufacturers were looking for their chance to break into the American food market. Entrepreneurial excitement was in the air.

Interestingly, we noticed that the show was mostly dominated by olives, chocolate and flavored bottled water. There were some familiar gf brands there such as Glutano, Lara Bar, Cherrybrook Kitchen and