Newsweek Article On Celiac Disease!

Well, It's here!! The much anticipated Newsweek article has hit the stands. I tried to buy a copy at several locations this morning on my way to work only to find fashion magazines, gossip rags and porn. ARGH! Doesn't anybody really read anymore?! Then a friend of mine sent me a link to the online article- I'm hoping the graphic that was supposed to be included with more gluten-free resources (GFGoddess, Meetups, etc.) is in the print version.

This latest situation I found myself in stemmed from the recent New York Times article on dining out with celiac disease. Burnt out from that day of excitement , I came home to this email: "...I'm working on an upcoming article about celiac disease for Newsweek magazine and I'd like to interview you."

My heart palpitated.

One thing led to the next, and eventually we all secured a date to meet at Bistango. Of course, on that day there was a major storm prompting endless phone calls about flight delays. We weren't sure if Heidi Collins, the official spokesperson for the NFCA, was ever going to make it on time from Atlanta. At Bistango, waiting for Heidi to arrive, the photograper needed to start shooting. "Take another sip of your drink...yes, that's great!" At 10:30pm Heidi came through the door to the rescue, looking absolutely amazingly fresh considering her long day of travel frustration. Great! I was more relaxed now knowing they would be able to get a better photo than just lonely me with my martini looking like a lush!

Bistango restaurant already holds special memories for me. The first time I went there was to meet up with the dedicated Alice Bast and Vanessa Maltin of the NFCA to brainstorm for the first NYC Cooking Spree fundraiser. The second time I went there was to be interviewed by Jennifer Romolini, the free-lance writer with celiac disease that has worked very hard to further celiac disease awareness with her great coverage in TONY magazine and the recent New York Times article. And now I found myself at Bistango sitting unnaturally close to Heidi Collins of CNN and reporter Ann Underwood with a Newsweek photographer snapping away from various angles!

Do I sense a pattern here? Maybe it's because of the cozy exposed brick walls, or the candles and roses on the tables. Perhaps it's because of the great service. More than likely it is all of this combined with the many tasty menu items that can be converted to gluten-free upon request, that makes this the place for diners wanting an environment conducive to conversation.

Dinner, of course, was delicious. We had several dishes, including my favorite, the naturally gluten free salmon di sedano.

The manager, Anthony, told me (when I first interviewed him several months ago) it's been about three years since they began offering gluten-free options as a GFRAP member. Back then the owner was curiously hesitant about the whole gluten-free thing, but because of the family nature of the restaurant they wanted everyone to be able to enjoy a meal there. The most popular item is Fusilli Bistango which includes sauteed chicken, olive oil, roasted tomatoes, broccoli and marinara. Now upon your arrival they even serve bruschetta with gluten-free baguettes from Everybody Eats (not corn-free) and even dessert!

I'm really excited to see more publicity for these great restaurants that have reached out to accommodate our special needs. I'm especially happy for the incredible amount of awareness this Newsweek article is going to bring to many people here in the United States.

Thanks again, Anne, for the great coverage! And thanks again, Heidi, for coming all the way from Atlanta for dinner!

Bistango
415 3rd Avenue
(At 29th St. & 3rd Ave.)
New York, NY 10016
212-725-8484

Comments

[Dr. Doug Hertford]

Kelly
Thanks for tip on Newsweek article.
I agree with you about Bistango and have been a regular since GF ~ 2.5 years ago.
Not only is the food fresh and great at Bistango, the Host Anthony is an extraordinarly gracious, accomadating and extremely nice guy!

[Karina]

Hi Kelly! Big congrats and hugs from New Mexico- we'll be driving into Santa Fe tomorrow to snag some copies of Newsweek (will you autograph mine sometime? ;)) This is very exciting. And so cool.

Thanks so much for mention here and the link- I can't wait to see the article in person. Yay!

[Phil]

"Doesn't anybody really read anymore?!"

People who REALLY read probably have a subscription. ;-)
Congratulations!

[Kelly]

Dr. Doug- Thanks, and I totally agree with you about Anthony being the perfect host!

Karina- How fun! A day trip to Sante Fe - can I come?!

Phil- You are SO right! [duh] :)

[jennifer R]

Yay, Kelly! This is such excellent news and a terrific article and I am giddy over any part I may have had in making it happen. Onward and Upward! xoxoxo

[Catherine]

Congrats! This is so exciting.

[Renee]

Great blog Kelly that gives us a background glimpse into a great mainstream story....Kudos to everyone (especially all the bloggers like Karina, Shauna, David, Catherine etc) whose efforts have made GF living so much easier than it had been...I met Alice Bast shortly after my daughter's celiac dx...her enthusiasm and can-do attitude remain as much of a "gift" to the celiac community as they were to us in 2003. I just came back from Whole Foods where I found 365 brand GF baking mixes, new mini GF cookies from Ian's, and other clearly labeled GF items.....The times they are a-changin'!
regards
Renee in Phila

[David F]

Hey there--there is an annotated list of six resources in the hard copy. I've got 'em listed (not verbatim) at my blog (click on my name to get to the relevant page).

[allergic girl]

brava kelly!

i took a peek at the article at borders pre-la-deluge this afternoon-great stuff! and gorgeous picture of you two, too!

[Karina]

Kelly~ I'm so frustrated! We just got back from Santa Fe- no September 17th Newsweek anywhere. Sigh.

And yes, you can come- anytime, Sistah! xoxo

[Ellen]

Great article and great info for so many people-good job!!

[Alison]

Yay - more great press! You guys are so lucky in NY. Hopefully we (in SF) will catch up soon!

[Mike]

Kelly - congrats on the article! Did you emphasize the importance of the work that GFRAP did to make this happen? I see that *again* there was no mention of it in print.

[Kelly]

Karina- Yikes! How annoying! Well, some people can't find a current issue in other places yet either.

Thank you Ellen!

Mike- In the hard copy there is a graphic with a listing of other resources including GFRAP. I helped Anne with the list, but some of the suggestions were not used. They did try to use a well rounded amount of resources. The graphic and a few other pics are not included in the online article.

[melissa]

Kind of off topic, but has anyone heard any information about Gourmetland, the chinese restaurant on 82nd and 2nd? I just found out it closed....

[Kelly]

Melissa,

Check the NYC Celiac Meetups message board. All I ever heard was they were sold and no more gf menu.

[laura]

The fact that Newsweek ran an article is great news for celiac awareness!--for those of us already diagnosed and dealing with it and also for those who may now consider being tested, after reading the article.

[shauna]

i go away to Italy on a honeymoon for eleven days, and look what happens when I am gone....

Ann Underwood called me the day before we left for Italy. I came home to find a raft of emails, and a copy of the piece. So exciting!

Great job, Kelly. We're all benefiting each other with this. I can feel the ground shifting beneath my feet. Something is happening here.

Let's keep being positive and showing people what we can do. (And hopefully, someday, it will be as easy to eat gluten-free in this country as it was in Italy. Now that was heaven!)

[deborah shear]

As always, your info is so great. I just want to put a plug in for the Columbia University Celiac Center Gala being held this Wednesday, October 24th. We need to raise more money, so buy a ticket or just send a BIG check. You can go to the Center website for more info.
Remember, there are no drug companies that are going to us, hence, we need to help ourselves. Please be generous and support the wonderful research the Center is doing.