Celiac and the City

Blogging Hiatus

2013-11-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

I am a person who wears too many hats. As much as I have loved blogging here at Celiac and the City I must regretfully acknowledge that I simply can't dedicate the time I have previously to the site. Seeing as it's been 6 months since I've been able to post I feel it's time to officially announce a hiatus. It's my full intention to return to the blog in the future but for now enjoy the past posts and check Facebook for updates!

Michelle

EAT! Vancouver

2013-05-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of attending the EAT! Vancouver trade show this weekend and I was delighted to find a wide variety of Gluten Free offerings! Normally this is the type of event I would never think of attending, but I was contacted to participate as media, because this year they were putting an extra special emphasis on Gluten Free offerings.

So that this post doesn't go on for pages and pages, here's a quick summary of some of the GF friendly vendors and where to check out their products on the web.

-All But Gluten-Also an EAT! Vancouver sponsor, this new line of fresh bakery items comes from Weston Bakeries Limited. Working with Registered Dietitian and Renowned Celiac expert Shelley Case, All But Gluten is a line of not-frozen GF bakery products that include breads, focaccias, pizza shells, muffins, macaroons and brownies. I was a little disappointed they were only sampling one product, but what I tried was really good. Hopefully I'll be able to track down a few more products and do a review of their line! Such a great new addition to the GF scene.

All But Gluten

-U-Be-Living-Smart-"Karma"ffin-I had the opportunity to speak with several of the founders of U-Be-Living-Smart who brought me up to speed on their product "Karma"ffin. These muffins contain 7 grams of protein, 1 full serving of fruits and veg, are gluten free, nut free and preservative/additive free, and contain upwards of 3 grams of fibre. I had never heard of this product before, and was super excited to try their offerings. I honestly couldn't believe how moist and tasty they were. In fact I picked up a pack at Save-On while out today. I expect more interesting products to come from these guys in the future.

"Karma"ffin

-Mary's Gone Crackers-An oldey but a goodey. These guys were sampling a full selection of crackers and cookies. Most people with allergies, intolerances or Celiac Disease are familiar with their line of GF, vegan cookies and crackers as these guys are easy to find at most major grocery retailers.

Mary's Gone Crackers

-Everyday Super Foods-Gluten free and vegan "cereal" similar to Holy Crap. This company offers four varieties: Oh My Goodness!, Omega Mango, Super Trim and Cocao Wow. They were kind enough to provide me with a bag of Oh My Goodness! and I'm excited to sample! This is also a local Vancouver company, which I love to support!

Everyday Superfoods

-Vitala Foods-I'm always looking for local, healthy fare, and Vitala Foods certainly fits the bill. Vitala's milk is the only BC milk enriched with DHA Omega-3 fatty acids and CLA-a natural, healthy, fatty acid. In addition to producing Canada's only truly traceable milk, Vitala foods also produce yogurt and eggs. Although a little hard to find right in the heart of Vancouver, I have no doubt we'll start seeing Vitala products popping up at major retailers in the future.

Vitala Foods

-Coconut Bliss-This was one of the day's most popular booth, as they were doling out samples of their coconut milk "ice cream" that is free from gluten, dairy and soy, is certified organic, 100% vegan, low glycemic, and made with fair trade ingredients. With that amazing list how could you not want to try this tasty dessert! I had both chocolate peanut butter and their newest flavour, salted caramel. I love this stuff!!

Coconut Bliss

-Snack Box-A brand new Vancouver company offering "a curated box of the healthiest snack foods on the planet, shipped to your door every month". For only around $35/month plus shipping, you get a cool box of tasty, healthy treats, that are also gluten free and mostly soy free. They also put the emphasis on natural ingredients and feature vegan free items as well. I'm definitely considering signing up. There is no commitment and they offer a money back guarantee.

Snack Box

-Summer Fresh-I didn't actually sample anything from these guys, as most of their samples were being offered with gluten containing crackers, but I do know their line of products well. Summer Fresh offers an extensive line of salads, dips, hummus, and fresh cooking sauces, most of which are gluten free. They clearly label their GF products, which takes the guesswork out of shopping-another huge bonus.

Summer Fresh

-Omega Crunch-Offering tasty shelled flax products like Sweet Cinnamon, Roasted Maple and Roasted Garlic, these flax seeds are not only super healthy but they're incredibly tasty! These guys were super knowledgeable about Celiac Disease and were dishing out completely GF samples :)

Omega Crunch

-Maple Delights-All sorts of delicious maple products, including syrups, spread, jellies, chunks and taffy, this company is Canadian to the core! Try their Maple Spread...its like highly concentrated maple syrup...and its ridiculously good!!

-LB Emporium-Natural, Gluten Free spices, rubs and finishing salts. Super cute branding as well.

LB Emporium

-Giddy Yoyo-Beautifully crafted raw, vegan chocolate bars, cacao powder, cacao nibs, maca, chlorella and more. 100% raw, nutrient dense and gluten free!

Giddy Yoyo

-Island Farms-Also sampling their well know ice cream, the team at Island Farms was well versed in which of their ice cream offerings were GF! Ever since I moved to BC (originally Victoria in 2001) I have been a big fan of Island Farms. Their product line includes yogurt, milk, cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and of course ice cream! Their website includes a handy link to their gluten free offerings.

Island Farms

-Boylan and MASH-Classic cane sugar sodas, and low cal water drinks. I love me a tasty Boylan!

Boylan

-Mat and Steves's-The Extreme Bean-Delicious pickled beans, olives and cocktail rimmers.

Extreme Bean

-Jump Up and GoGo-Premium raw superfood smoothie blends. These ladies were well aware of the Celiac diet and pointed me towards their GF product, which doesn't contain wheatgrass, for fear of cross contamination. 100% Organic and raw, with no fillers, sweeteners of added flavours.

Jump Up and GoGo

-Caramels by (in the oven)-A really cute line of vegan, gluten free, GMO-free and soy free caramels. The five different flavours are Lime, Smoked Salt, Coconut, Dark Chocolate Coffee and Maple Pecan. Sadly the ladies weren't sampling their caramels, but the packaging was super cute and these bad boys are made right here in Vancouver, so I'll be sure to pick up a bag soon!

Caramels by (in the oven)

-Valor Chocolate-These lovely ladies let me know about their GF chocolates :) Gotta love a great GF chocolate!

Valor Chocolate

-Oikos-This Greek yogurt giant was doling out individual yogurt cups with topping mix-ins. I couldn't resist sampling a coconut greek yogurt with almonds slivers. I believe all Oikos yogurts are GF, but their website doesn't state this, so be sure to read all ingredients.

Oikos Yogurt

-CheeCha Puffs-I love this tasty, crispy little snacks! CheeCha Puffs also makes gluten containing snacks, so be sure to always look for the matte packaging, not the shiny packaging, for the GF crisps!

CheeCha Puffs

-AFIC EXIM (Canada)-This is the Canadian distributor of several GF beers, including New Grist, New Planet and Omission. I have tried New Grist before, but Kurt let me sample New Planet Pale Ale. It was quite good with a very hoppy taste. I was excited to find out that this company also has a Raspberry Ale which should be available in private liquor stores in time for summer. I have yet to try Omission Beer, and I'm undecided if I ever will, but I have read about Celiacs who have had no problem with it. If you don't know about Omission's story be sure to check out their website to find out what I'm talking about.

New Grist, Omission and New Planet Beers

-Better Bean-Vegan, gluten free, all natural beans. Really tasty!

Better Bean

-Canada Hemp Foods Ltd-Hemp protein powders, hemp seeds, hemp oil more.

Canada Hemp Foods Ltd.

Here's a list of other exhibitors offering GF products that I didn't have the chance to visit with:

-Boccalino Grotto

-BC Association of Abattoirs

-BC Salmon Farmer's Association

-Bella Gelateria

-Blaze's Beans

-Checkers Premium Fudge

-Coconama

-Daiya Foods

-Dubble Bubble and Tootsie Roll

-Earth's Own Almond Fresh

-Epicure Selections

-Fontaine Sante

-Food For Life

-Green Earth Organics

-Honey Bunny

-Hopcott Premium Meats

-Kid Bros. Honey/Western Sage Honey

-Kitchen Pick Living Herbs

-Maison Orphee

-Misty Mountain Mushrooms

-Peanut Butter and Co.

-Rain City Soups

-Sabra

-Schokolade Artisan Chocolate

-Tea Sparrow

-The Spice Chica

-The Soup Factory

-The Vinegar Lady

-Three Farmers Camelino Oil

-Trugs Gourmet Foods

-Vancouver Olive Oil Company

-Westpoint Naturals

The Sweet Tooth Cakery

2013-04-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

Nestled in a nondescript commercial building on Old Dollarton Road in North Van, The Sweet Tooth Cakery is truly a little gem worthy of a destination outing. In 2011 owner Jenny Breckon realized her long-held dream to open a retail store front for her delicious gluten free (also some dairy-free/egg-free/vegan options) baking and moved into this location for its convenient access to the suburbs.

The Sweet Tooth Cakery on Old Dollarton Road

With a Celiac diagnosis in 2006, Jenny was forced to re-examine her love of baking. After taking a one year baking hiatus and sampling what the GF world had to offer, she decided once and for all that Celiacs everywhere needed a champion of good taste! Ok I might be being a wee bit dramatic, but Jenny definitely decided that she could produce truly tasty, high-quality, 100% safe products for those affected by an allergy or intolerance – and make them equally as good as her gluten counterparts.

I've only had the chance to visit The Sweet Tooth Cakery a couple of times, but I have been nothing but completely impressed. Not only is the selection really diverse, but EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT I've tried was really really good. It's definitely one of those places where you'll have a difficult time deciding what to try.

Cookies!!!

From the usual cakes and cookies, to baguettes, breads and cream puffs, The Sweet Tooth Cakery can basically please every palette. They offer a large selection of breads (classic sandwich, hearty seed loaf, cinnamon raisin to name a few) plus a huge selection of the most moist and delicious cupcakes this GF girl has ever had. I bought what I thought was a chocolate cupcake and as soon as I bit in I found out it had a crazy good Twinkie type center. Yummy!

Several different bread varieties and check out those fancy little cupcakes :)

Not just for those gluten-intolerant, The Sweet Tooth Cakery also offers vegan, dairy-free and egg-free options, so there's lots of choice for everyone. Next time I'm going to try one of their new "Fitness Muffins"...and probably a cream puff....oh and maybe some cheesecake or a Nanaimo square....or...

Their ever popular cinnamon buns.

When my company Port + Quarter recently celebrated its one year anniversary I knew just who to call. The Sweet Tooth Cakery also specializes in custom cake design, offering tonnes of options, such as classic carrot cake, tarty lemon cake and chocolate raspberry passion as well as the option to mix and match your favourite flavours. For our cake we ordered an 8" chocolate cake with cream filling and buttercream icing. Jenny personalized it for us and even had it ready for pickup the first day back after the Easter long weekend. Let me tell you this cake was FABULOUS. My entire staff raved about it. It was a beautiful 4 layer cake, that was moist and perfectly sweet and super pretty. I brought some home to Gabe who loved it saying "It looks like a professionally baked cake, but tastes like its straight out of a Grandmothers's kitchen...it's THAT good". I'm not one of those Celiacs who think every GF product is equal to its gluteny counterpoint: I will call a spade a spade. But this cake was some of the best cake I've ever had. Period. We savoured it for days and it totally didn't dry out or get soggy. I can't say enough of how pleased we were with our custom order. Now if Gabe should one day choose to propose, and we should make it to a wedding...I would definitely call these guys to make us a crazy good wedding cake ;) No pressure at all there honey :)

Happy 1 Year Port + Quarter!

The Sweet Tooth Cakery is located at 2055 Old Dollarton Road in North Van. Open Tuesdays 10-4, Wednesday-Friday 9-6, and Saturday 9-5. Closed Sunday, Monday and holidays. Custom orders can be placed online and shipped right to your door. You can also find some of their sweet treats at Latin Organics Coffee on Hastings and Clark.

Are those baguettes? Check out the awesome baguette sandwich I had below!

Yep that's a veggie baguette...that was moist and chewy and very tasty.

The Last Crumb

2013-03-31T19:59:00.001-07:00

Newbies to the Main St. area of Vancouver, The Last Crumb Bakery Cafe is the latest in a host of conventional bakeries that have added Gluten Free offerings to their product list. Nestled in a brand new, airy two-storey at 3080 Main St., The Last Crumb was started by two sisters obsessed with food. Everything they serve is not only preservative and artificial colouring free, but also uses the highest quality ingredients available.

Baked in small batches, by hand, The Last Crumb is NOT a dedicated Gluten Free facility. However, they do try their best to minimize cross contamination to the best of their abilities. From the Bakery: "To prevent cross-contamination, our bakers make gluten-free products before any gluten products. We have a separate display case for all our gluten-free products with clearly designated tongs. Furthermore, we educate our staff the importance of preventing gluten-free and gluten products contamination in the handling process." And to note I have eaten there on more than a handful of occasions and have had no issues. Several other Vancouver based GF bloggers have also reported similar findings, which is how I made the decision to try things out for myself.

The GF treats case :)

The space itself if a bright and open two-storey bakery, with a great vibe and friendly atmosphere. On my first visit I immediately noticed the separate display case/tongs for the GF offerings. The staff was super helpful when I asked several questions about how their GF products were made/served and I felt confident that they were doing everything right to minimize cross contamination. The Last Crumb has tonnes of gluteny options, but recognized that there was a growing demand from customers for Gluten Free options. "Being part of the Main Street community, we understand people have dietary restrictions. We wanted to provide them with options so they wouldn’t feel like they were missing out on anything."

Cute branding is also a great touch.

The main Gluten Free offerings are scones, both sweet and savoury, as well as a spattering of sweet treats. They also offer Sconewichs (which you can sub in a GF scone for), salads and hot specials. Check daily to see which are currently GF.

Bacon cheddar scallion scone. Looks too good to be GF right?

I've had the opportunity to try a healthy sampling of The Last Crumb's GF products, including the bacon, cheddar scallion scone, jalapeno cheddar and plain cheddar scones, peanut butter chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookies, the Browned Buttered Brownies, and their chocolate macaroon. And while all the items were delicious, my favourites are actually the two top Gluten Free sellers: The chocolate chip cookie sandwich with vanilla buttercream!!! (OMG) and the bacon cheddar scallion scone. The scones are actually the type where you'll start eating it and then have a moment of panic that you are actually eating a regular scone even though you clearly watched the server take the scone out of the GF case, with the GF tongs. Ya, they're that good.

You'll probably dream about these at night. Or at least I do...

And the cookiewich is dynamite. Gabe had a regular cookiewich with peanut butter cookies and raspberry buttercream, which he thought was good, but the cookies needed to soften up slightly to make it perfect. He totally gave his stamp of approval to his gluten version of the bacon cheddar scallion scone, and he's a picky scone type-guy. So that's a good thing :)

Moist and chewy coconut macaroon with chocolate drizzle.

I asked the ladies at The Last Crumb what their long term goals for the bakery were in terms of their Gluten Free options: "Our long-term goal for the bakery in regards to the gluten-free option is to definitely expand our selection and to hopefully develop a gluten-free and dairy-free product. We’re passionate about the food we serve, and one of the things all our products must have, is great taste. All of our gluten-free products are subjected to a blind taste. Just because it is gluten-free, it doesn’t mean that the quality of taste should be devalued. Taste is something we strongly stand by, if it doesn’t pass the blind taste with gluten-free and gluten consumers, it doesn’t go in our case." And you can definitely tell.

Browned Buttered Brownie.

I really look forward to continuing to see what kinds of tasty GF offerings The Last Crumb whips up in the future. The bakery also offers Afternoon Tea (which can be ordered GF) on the weekends, which I think is just a plain lovely idea :) You can reserve your spot on their website.

The Last Crumb is located at 3080 Main St. and is open Tues-Thurs 10:00 am-5:00 pm, Fri-Sun 9:00 am-6:00 pm and is closed on Mondays.

The Acme Cafe

2013-02-20T19:12:00.002-08:00

UPDATE: July 31, 2013. I've decided to stop eating at Acme Cafe as I have twice now had Celiac symptoms after eating here. I absolutely love the food here-but nothing is worth getting sick over!

Nestled in the historic Paris Block in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, Acme Cafe is a charming little gem that serves up real comfort food, awesome sandwiches and lots of pies and desserts. Sadly this post is NOT about those tasty sweet treats, because alas I don't believe they make any GF. What it is about is their awesome GF bread...which they use to make most of their sandwiches Gluten Free!

I had read about Acme Cafe on the good 'ol interweb so when Gabe and I headed down to try it out I was a bit confused, as nowhere on the menu does it actually state that they offer GF options. But when asked I was assured that they make their own GF bread (based on the owner Peggy's gluten free Grandma Gertie's recipe). And therefore most of their sandwiches can be made Celiac-Safe.

I've had the opportunity to try a couple of different sandwiches, including the Chicken Club, the High-Falutin Grilled Cheese and the Veggie.

Why is that a Gluten Free Club Sandwich? Oh yes it is!

The sandwiches come with the choice of: a cup of soup (which is sometimes GF), mac and cheese (sadly the glutenous kind) or broccoli slaw and potato chips (this ones the winner!). Oh and of course a pickle.

Gabe looking extra cute at the cafe counter.

I absolutely love the Veggie Sandwich, which is full of roasted veg and a sun-dried tomato basil mayo. The bread itself stays together really well and has a great texture. Now I want to be perfectly honest here. They do not (obviously) maintain a completely GF kitchen, so you do risk cross contamination. I think I fell victim to this one time, so it's definitely real. But, having said that, as a Celiac I eat at non-dedicated restaurants all the time, so the fact that they offer GF bread tells me that they are at least more aware of things and will try their best to be accommodating.

Sure do wish some of the those tasty things were GF.

For the non-GF in your family, Acme offers some really great looking home eats. Gabe has a thing for their meatloaf, and the mac and cheese seems to be a house specialty.

I'm slightly addicted to Coke. Add in some vanilla ice cream and you have a happy camper!

Bear in mind the fact that the restaurant isn't really all that large, and they don't take resos so it can be quite busy. They also do a bustling business on the take-out side. Acme Cafe is at 51 West Hastings St. and is open Monday-Friday 8am-9pm, and weekends and holidays 9am-9pm.

They definitely "get" the whole Celiac thing.

Veggie sandwich...so tasty!!! The slaw is awesome too.

Famous Foods

2012-12-16T19:48:00.001-08:00

Holy cow I can't believe it's been over two months since I last posted! Well it has been one crazy year in the life of this Celiac and The City gal...but I guess busy is good!

I wanted to give you at least one more post for 2012, and I'm making it my New Year's resolution to be more diligent posting! Looks like 2013 won't slow down much for me, but I'll try harder to stay on top of my juggling act!

It's now been over a year since Gabe and I moved to East Van. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our new neighborhood. We are just a few blocks from The Gluten Free Epicurean, Che Baba, Le Faux Bourgeois and My Goodness Gluten Free. We are much closer to The Wallflower, Acme Cafe, The Dutch Wooden Shoe and Quejos. AND we love our neighborhood grocery store Famous Foods...not just for the excellent selection of GF products, but for their organic meats, local produce and crazy good prices.

Most of Famous Foods GF products are conveniently labelled.

I had long seen the Famous Foods ads on the backs of Vancouver buses, but, living in Kits, never seemed to make it out to East Van to try it out. So naturally it was one of our first discoveries after moving into the new hood...and we were so pleasantly surprised with this small, but awesome grocery store. Although it is truly a small, local joint, don't let the size fool you. The store is orderly, easy to navigate and full of organic, GF, local products, some of which are hard to find elsewhere.

Easy to find, well labelled GF products.

There are a few reasons I really love this store...and surprisingly their GF selection isn't the first point that makes my list! I LOVE their prices. Not only are they super competitive with big box type stores, but they are often cheaper and have better sales than their competition. Add to the fact that they have one of the best selections of non-medicated, organic meats (at really great prices), lots of local items, and a killer selection of spices/seasonings/herbs/dried fruits/nuts and Famous Foods is at the top of my grocery store go-tos. You can always find some fun, exotic ingredient or new product you haven't seen/tried, which makes my shopping trip just that much more enjoyable.

Great variety of frozen GF products, including breads, muffins, perogies, pizza, bagels and more!

Another really great factor about Famous Foods is their staff. Super helpful, down-to-earth and efficient. We never have problems finding parking, and as I mentioned, although the store is small, it's easy to navigate. They do a great job of keeping the shelves tidy and organized and their GF labelling system is pretty thorough. Sometimes I have to just shake my head at places that have a GF labelling system-as much of the time they miss 90% of the products that are GF (even those labelled with a big, bold GF!!!), but Famous Foods seems a little more on top of things.

Wide variety of GF products, are awesome prices!

If I had to complain about something, it would be that I would love to see a larger selection of fresh GF baking (they do carry fresh Glutenull products, which I'm not a huge fan of) as well as a larger produce section. They do a good job of working with the space they have, but a little more room in the produce section, as well as a little more selection, would go a really long way. But really, small complaints on the whole.

Selection of fresh Glutenull products in their bakery section.

Mmmmm GF cookies galore!

I really like cookies :)

Famous Foods is located at 1595 Kingsway, just east of Knight St., and is open 8 am-9 pm, 7 days a week.

Lemonade Bakery

2012-10-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

When life hands you lemons...you make lemonade! So when life hands a pastry chef a gluten intolerance, what's a girl to do? Open her own gluten free bakery!

And so began Lemonade Bakery.

Lemonade's Charming Exterior

Tracy Kadonoff was an award winning pastry chef who had worked for 16 years at a well known Vancouver pasty shop when she developed a serious gluten allergy. No longer being able to eat or work with gluten flours, and finding a serious lack in the gluten free products available on the market, Tracy decided to open her own shop, and picked out a great little location in the newly redeveloped Cambie District.

Tracy showing off her wares.

I made it to Lemonade the day after Tracy opened her doors and was pleasantly surprised to find a cute, bright little shop, bustling with patrons. I'm always a bit nervous when a new gluten free place opens up. I truly don't want a place to be embraced as a "trend" only for business to drop off after the appeal wears off.

Fortunately Tracy has an amazing past in the pastry world and it makes complete sense that she would find tremendous success translating her skills into the gluten free zone. Her products are artfully made and thoughtfully crafted.

Tiramisu and Coconut Lemon Mousse

Lemonade offers more traditional gluten free items like breads, cupcakes and cookies, but with a bit of a gourmet twist. I've had the chance to sample a few of the different bread varieties and was very impressed with the Honey and Five Seed Bread, as well as the Chia Flax Loaf-which is also egg and dairy free. Tracy's bread has a good texture and nice aftertaste, where so-often GF bread leaves an "off" aftertaste.

Nice selection of GF breads

What I really enjoyed about Lemonade was the cake selection. Gabe loved his slice of Lemon Coconut Mouse Cake and I thoroughly enjoyed my very first piece of Tiramisu I've had in over 11 years. Both cakes were super fluffy with tasty filling. Lemonade also offers Triple Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Mousse, several types of cheesecake and Silk Torte. I've also sampled a few different cupcakes including the "Campfire Cupcake"-dark chocolate with toasted Italian meringue.

Campfire Cupcake

Along with a selection of granola, muesli and energy bars, Lemonade offers a large selection of cookies, biscotti and squares. The shop is a delightful, bright little spot and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00 am-6:00 pm as well as Sunday 10:00 am-4:00 pm.

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Gluten Free Las Vegas

2012-09-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Back at the end of July my business partner over at Port + Quarter, and I took a trip down to Las Vegas for a large furniture/home decor trade show at The Las Vegas Market. This was my second time in Vegas, but really my first since Gabe and I only made it there for one night a few years ago on our way to a wedding in Phoenix. I knew we'd be mostly sticking close to The Strip, as we were staying at Planet Hollywood and not renting a car, so I made sure to do my research before arrival-which is pretty much an essential part of trip planning for me (and I would assume most Celiacs).

I found a great website called Gluten Free Las Vegas, I checked out Yelp and Urban Spoon, and I zoomed in on Las Vegas in my Google Map app on my phone/ipad and typed in Gluten Free (I find this really helpful and revealing in new cities actually-try it next time!). There were quite a few places that popped up, but again I knew I'd need to narrow down my hunt to places right on The Strip, as my business partner, Kyla, was quick to point out that The Strip is very deceiving on a map-looks very walkable-but its crazy long! And in 40 C heat its much easier to stick to stuff around the hotel.

I knew Kyla's favourite restaurant in Vegas was Mon Ami Gabi at Paris, and remembered that when Gabe and I were in town the one night we tried to eat here, but as it was late they were already closing. So we headed here for our first night in town.

First of all Mon Ami Gabi has a fantastic location-right across from the Bellagio where the fountains do a beautiful little show every hour. We got a lovely table on the patio and ordered a bottle of red. I had asked the hostess for the Gluten Free Menu before being sat, but was a bit disappointed when the first server/busser brought an amuse bouche from the chef. I asked if it was gluten free and as his English was bad he just kept saying "yes free free". Fail. But when our server came over he was very quick to grab me the GF bread and olives that are offered to GF guest as well as to find out the status of the amuse bouche (which was sadly not GF). But it was a great touch having my own GF bread and olives-although it wasn't the best flavour/texture wise.

GF bread and olives

Off of the Gluten Free Menu I chose to have two appetizers instead of an entree-French Onion Soup and the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. It was hot out-so maybe the soup wasn't the best choice-but it was still really tasty!! And when they say Jumbo they really mean Jumbo!! Normally I don't order shrimp cocktail in restaurant because the cocktail sauce is rarely GF (and most servers will assume it is without checking with the kitchen-believe me I worked in service a long time!). I sincerely wish I had room for dessert but I couldn't even finish my meal. Overall a great GF meal with excellent service and a fabulous location on The Strip.

Those were some seriously jumbo shrimp!

While at the Las Vegas Market it was fairly easy to eat GF, although after a week I was really sick of fruit and veggies! But as always I came prepared with a big bag of GF granola from My Goodness Gluten Free. That stuff is my go to travel take-along. Great without milk or yogurt and easy to pack along to the continental breakfast!

Another restaurant that I knew offered gluten free options in Vegas was Maggiano's Little Italy, located in the Fashion Show Mall. This place was packed, even on a Tuesday evening. We ended up sitting at a not super comfy bar type table-facing a wall. When our server came I asked if they had a separate GF menu and he let me know that they didn't but that they could make "every pasta" GF. EVERY PASTA!! I asked "Are there any sauces I should stay away from?" and was assured that any pasta I ordered could be made GF with corn pasta. Kyla and I decided to split a pasta because all the dishes in the States tend to be huge. We picked a basic spaghetti and meatball dish...and I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. The meatballs were not, in fact, gluten free. But thankfully the spaghetti and meatSAUCE could be made GF...so we ordered that.

Mmmmm penne and Meat Sauce!

When the meal came it was indeed huge...and actually really good. Definitely good value overall as well because we only paid $12 for a meal that filled us both up. The pasta itself was a nice corn penne that was cooked well. Paired with the classic tomato/meatsauce it was definitely a win here. But it you go here be very careful about what you order and obviously let them know that you aren't just gluten intolerant, but actually CELIAC.

Probably the thing I was looking the most forward to on this trip was a visit to In-N-Out Burger!! You could say that I'm a bit obsessed with this place, after having experienced a double-double, protein-style, animal-style deliciousness on our trip to Phoenix. Sadly In-N-Out Burger is not that widely available and only has locations in Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona and Texas. I think Gabe figured out the nearest In-N-Out to Vancouver was in Redding, CA-a mere 1200 km south.

Pretty much the best burger you'll ever put in your mouth.

Here's the thing about In-N-Out-they only do burger, fries, milkshakes and pop. But boy do they do them well!! I ordered a double double (double cheese, double meat) animal-style (a mustard cooked beef patty with pickles, cheese, 1000 Island type spread and grilled onions) protein-style (no bun-wrapped in lettuce instead). I also always make sure they know I have Celiac Disease so that my burger comes no where near the buns. Both times I've been they had no problem with this and assured me its a regular request. Their fries are fresh cut and GF-as are their deep fryers. You can also order fries "animal style" or with cheese, but I like mine just plain :) Believe me...these are the best GF burgers your mouth will ever taste. I can actually conjure up the taste in my mind if I try hard enough.

Now In-N-Out isn't actually on The Strip, but it's just behind New York and Excalibur-you can get there by following the path on the highway beside Excalibur-it will lead you across the over pass and down across the street from In-N-Out. Well worth the slight deviation!

On our last night in Vegas I knew we had to hit P. F. Chang's China Bistro. This is where Gabe and I actually ended up eating the night we were in Vegas before and it was awesome. I remember sitting down and asking for the GF menu, and the server simply turned the menu over...and there it was...just like a real person's menu!! So needless to say I definitely kept my appetite in check the whole day to save room for dinner.

Egg drop soup to start.

I started off by ordering the GF Egg Drop Soup. I have never had Egg Drop Soup, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was soooo good! Hot and well seasoned, it made my mouth water for the main course. I had a hard time deciding what to order for my main course, but I finally decided on the GF crab fried rice, which our server said was awesome. They were really great about making sure I knew the regular soya sauce wasn't GF and bringing me my own little dish of GF sauce. They obviously get a lot of people ordering from this menu and they were well versed on Celiac Disease.

So good. Can't wait until I can have this in Vancouver!

The crab fried rice was HUGE...but oh so delicious! Really, really delicious. I made sure to save some for plane ride leftovers. It was still really good even cold. And of course when I was so stuffed I could hardly even think of taking another bite, our server told us about the GF triple chocolate mousse mini dessert. It took me all of about 3 seconds to say yes...and I'm glad I did. It may have been small, but it was a perfect GF end to a great meal! I can't wait until P. F. Chang's comes to Canada...the Toronto location is set to open soon!

Triple chocolate mousse and a glass of bubbly.

We also ate at Botero in Wynn, which was very fancy and posh. So fancy and posh in fact that I didn't feel right taking pics of the meal!

I had the most mouth watering short rib I've ever experienced! They have a separate GF menu, but I found it very limited. The short rib was heavenly though, and the mash that went with delicious. But for the price tag I didn't really expect anything less!

Because we were at the Las Vegas Market all day we actually never went out for breakfast or lunch. All of the booths provided plenty of food and drink which kept us happy and full throughout the day.

Although I never ate at the following places, here is a list of other GF friendly dining options I found while researching Las Vegas:

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

Outback Steakhouse

Diego

The Gluten Free Epicurean

2012-08-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Four words: Maple Bacon Apple Fritters.

The single best gluten free baked good I have EVER experienced.

The Gluten Free Epicurean first came on my radar a few winters ago when Gabe brought me home a few treats from a Christmas market. I was super stoked to try a sausage roll and a few sweet treats baked by The Gluten Free Epicurean-but I couldn't find any info about the company or a place to purchase items except for at local craft and holiday markets.

For the next little while I kept finding her products popping up here and there, but with no store front it was hard to track down more delicious treats. So what a happy surprise to spy a "Coming Soon" sign on one of the quaint little shops at East 15th and Kingsway. What? GF deliciousness two blocks away? This could be dangerous...

Two minutes away from my back door...trouble!

The Gluten Free Epicurean is the brainchild of Delainy Mackie, who has been gluten free for 12 years. Mackie came from a family of gluten free bakers (both her mother and aunt were Celiac as well) and focuses on quality ingredients. I love the fact that she tries to use organic ingredients wherever possible, as well as local/organic/hormone free produce and dairy.

Hmmm, what to choose?

The cafe itself is taking full advantage of a really up and coming location, nestled between two of my favourite spots Che Baba and Le Faux Bourgeois. Throw in Matchstick Coffee Roasters, Lion's Den Cafe, Collage Collage etc. and this quirky little strip packs big bang for your buck. Decorated in a vintage white palatte, The Gluten Free Epicurean rocks a cute vintage/modern vibe. But more impressive than the atmosphere is the food. OH GOD THE FOOD!!

Lunch!

As a disclaimer I have never eaten here for lunch. But I will-I promise. I HAVE however tried many of the sweet treats. The Gluten Free Epicurean offers a wide variety of items: pizzas and pastas for lunch, baking mixes/GF flour, pre cooked meat pies and quiches, ice cream sandwiches, cakes, cookies, bars, squares, sausage rolls, biscuits, cinnamon buns and most importantly MAPLE BACON APPLE FRITTERS.

You will NOT be disappointed...

See I'm totally not exaggerating when I say this is the best GF baked good I've ever had. Even Gabe and my sister Mandy will totally attest to the sheer culinary delight of this tasty morsel and they're both gluten eaters. Go eat one. No, go eat TWO. And then take a pack of frozen vegan cinnamon buns home for take and bake.

And THEN meet me there on Saturday for lunch, cause you know its gonna be amazing.

Fresh baked cinnamon buns-straight from my oven!

The Gluten Free Epicurean is located at 633 East 15th Ave @ Kingsway. Open Wednesday to Saturday 10-5 and Sundays 11-4. You can also find some of their products at places such as Our Town Cafe, Quejos, Buddha-Full, Culprit Coffee in Kits and Blaq Sheep Coffee House and Bistro.

Vegan GF Cinnamon Bun

Smores Bar

Banana Chocolate Muffin

Updates!

2012-08-11T21:23:00.001-07:00

The Gluten Free world is always changing, a fact that can turn around and bite many of us in the behind. We come to rely on old favourites, stop reading ingredients and throw caution to the wind based on past experiences.

Like all change, some really awesome things are happening in the GF scene in Vancouver, and some not so great things. I thought I'd take a moment and update you all on previously reviewed places.

The Wallflower Modern Diner: still one of my favourite places to eat GF. Due to popular demand they even started making their very own GF buns in house-and they're really good! They no longer provide a separate GF menu, choosing instead to embrace their Celiac friends and simply mark all items on the menu that are, or can be made, GF. Try the GF ice cream sandwich...yes it really is as good as it looks! Also try them for brunch...the best, cheapest breakfast sandwich around!

This actually makes me want to go to the Wallflower for breakfast tomorrow.

My Local Cafe: Sadly My Local Cafe has closed down and is now a sushi place. Boo to this as I really loved going to this place for brunch and muffins.

Baru Latino: After successfully dining here for quite some time, the last time I was in we were told that the deep fryer now was cross contaminated with oats (or perhaps always was and the fact that not all oats are GF just came to their attention). This made me quite sad and cut quite a few items off the safe GF list for me. In the past I have always been served by one of the owners, and this time was served by a staff member. Not sure if this would make a difference, but I stayed away from the fryer.

Boston Pizza: Unfortunately the GF pizza and subsequent GF menu that BP's was set to roll out was pulled in the spring due to concerns from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Due to the fact that Boston Pizza is obviously not a dedicated facility, the CFIA decided that they could no longer claim their pizza was "gluten free". Thankfully Boston Pizza was quick to respond and rebrand and now offers "Gluten Wise" pizza. Personally I NEVER had issues with cross contamination at any of the many locations of BP's I've visited across the country and will continue to order pizza there. As always I do make sure my server knows that I'm actually CELIAC and therefore the kitchen needs to take utmost care. I've read plenty of debate about restaurants that AREN'T dedicated GF facilities using the phrase "Gluten Free" and honestly I evaluate each place on a case by case basis.

Ice Cream Sandwich from The Wallflower. AND those cookies are chocolate peanut butter :)

Ed's Gluten Free: By far my most viewed and debated post. And as much as I truly disliked the owners and staff I'm totally sad to say that Ed's has closed down. The whole affair was actually kinda strange if you ask me. Both locations (Edmonton and Vancouver) closed suddenly a few months back, with the owner's making some sorta half baked comment that the landlord needed them out of the building. Yet the butcher shop right beside Ed's is still going strong. They very quickly sold out their product at a discount and that was that. If it were a matter of location then I'm positive they could have made a go of it at a different location. The spot on Arbutus was actually pretty bad (no parking) and as this was a destination shop (as in people will go out of their way to come) I think they could have easily found a new location. So the city took a step backwards and we no longer have a dedicated GF store, which is truly sad. And now I don't know where to buy Kinnickinnik Maple Glazed donuts :(

There are so many more boxed GF mixes on the market I can hardly keep up. My sister recommended Gluten Free Pantry's Chocolate Truffle Brownie mix-which was dynamite, especially topped with my homemade chocolate icing. Of course GF Betty Crocker mixes are available in Canada now, although sadly not the Bisquick variety yet (which I buy in the States and savour in the winter with home made stew). Namaste Foods does a great spice cake mix, and I still love Bob's Red Mill's All Purpose GF flour as my everyday substitute. Also I am truly in love with WOW Baking Company's Chocolate Chip Cookies which I buy frequently at Donald's Market or Famous Foods. They really remind me of those soft Duncan Hines Cookies I used to eat when I was a kid.

I found the large size in Portland, but I'm starting to see bags of the small cookies at tonnes of retailers.

Often I muse about my early days as a Celiac and am so relieved and happy about all the places and people that have started to embrace our dietary needs. It's been a crazy busy summer over at Port + Quarter, but I'm truly trying to dedicate a little more time each month to keeping Celiac and the City up to date. Coming soon look for reviews on my trip to Las Vegas, The Gluten Free Epicurean, Sweet Tooth Cakery, Acme Cafe and more!

Gluten Free Portland

2012-06-24T22:23:00.002-07:00

Every time one of my friends comes back from Portland they always rave to me "You HAVE to go to Portland! It's a gluten free mecca!". And truth be told it always looked like a really cool city to me, so for my 33rd birthday Gabe and I decided to hit the road and have a weekender in this beautiful Oregon city.

Our friend Jordan suggested we check out the Ace Hotel: a very hipster/cool hotel right downtown Portland. Although I'm not a hipster, both Gabe and I thought the Ace was super charming...very creative, very on-trend (I use that word a lot in my profession) and very chill.

Our room at the Ace Hotel

We left Thursday and did a leisurely drive down the West Coast, stopping to rest at a Motel 6 in a little place called Tumwater, Washington. This was the first Motel 6 experience for us and we decided that everyone has to stay at one of these motels at least once in their life. It builds character.

By Friday morning we were on our way into Portland proper and aside from a minor mishap (I dropped my iPAD, which was promptly replaced by Apple: note to self ALWAYS buy the extended warranty on Apple products) we soon fell completely in love with this little city. It certainly didn't hurt that we landed in Portland on Pride weekend, and that it was 30 degrees all weekend either :)

Pretty much thought I was going to have a heart attack when that happened...

Portland is an amazing walking city. Being from Vancouver I'm used to looking at a map of downtown and figuring out how long it might take to get from say, Gastown to the West End. But in downtown Portland the blocks are only 200 ft long! That's teensy tiny! Meaning you can totally walk to the entire downtown (and across the bridge to the East side) completely comfortably. Much like Vancouver the city has really distinct little neighborhoods: Nob Hill is where to stroll, the Pearl District is a little like Yaletown and is full of design shops and amazing dining, and the East side has fantastic cafes, coffee shops and vintage stores. I totally came to the city expecting to shop (I mean hello! the duty free amount just went up to $800 per person!) but sadly Portland just isn't a shopping city. It's a chill with friends on a patio, eat way too much great food, rent a bike, poke around in vintage shops type of city. And we enjoyed every moment of it!

Gabe and I enjoying a night on the town.

But now let's get to the food, which every Celiac knows is the truly important part of any trip. I did do a bit of research for GF friendly dining in Portland, but I also trusted that Portland was the type of city that was just Gluten Aware. And I was definitely right. Almost every cafe, coffee shop or restaurant we went to had GF offerings clearly listed and displayed. It was all done so casually that it was plain to see why all my friends wanted me to visit here. GF is just a way of life down there. No big fuss, no showy signs, just something offered in an "of course we do GF" type of manner.

I found a great website called Gluten Free Portland which was a valuable starting place for GF restaurants and bakeries. I made a quick note of all the places that were nearish the downtown core, and I kept a little list in my purse for perusal while out and about.

The first place I KNEW I must hit was GF Chef, an all GF food cart located in the Northeast part of the city. One thing that I loved about Portland was the food cart culture. Literally most every parking lot in the city was lining on at least one side by food carts. And I learned that plenty of them offer GF fare. GF Chef is located in an especially charming empty lot, with several other more permanent food carts-essentially making an outdoor food court, just like you'd find at a mall. Gabe and I really found ourselves lamenting that Vancouver didn't have more of this. Chef Jim and his mom Bonnie were both lovely, and Jim has really perfected the art of GF bread, even going so far as to make his own "rye" flavouring. I opted for an Iberian Sandwich-a grilled, spiced turkey and cheese, and I loved it! In fact Gabe even loved it and happily devoured the part I couldn't eat. Definitely hearty portions here.

The Iberian Sandwich from GF Chef

Jim was also kind enough to do us up a sample of fried green tomatos (what! so good) as well as a little bite of his beautiful lavender scone. Topped off with a fresh sample of home made honey sweetened lemonade, and I was a beyond happy Celiac. This place is a must stop in Portland: next time we're going for breakfast as well!

Fried Green Tomatos: a treat for my taste buds!

Lavender Scones with Lemon Drizzle

On Friday evening we decided to go on a walking "Cocktail Cruise" so we started off by asking Dan from the Ace Hotel where to go for a great cocktail downtown. He sent us to Shawn at Tear Drop Cocktail Lounge-where we sampled some beautifully crafted cocktails.

I love Happy Hour! Cocktails from Tear Drop

Shawn in turn suggested Central for our next stop, which is on this amazing little slice of Ankeny St., right down from Voodoo Donuts. Our server told us in the last year or so the city allowed the little strip to close itself to traffic and set up patios down the middle of the road. The area had such a relaxed vibe: Gabe and I felt right at home here. The service was awesome, the drinks were spectacular (try the Cloud Cover Sour) and the patio was perfect.

Enjoying a Cloud Cover Sour at Central

Our lovely server sent us on to Kask, a great little "modern saloon" with strong cocktails and plenty of character. We met a cool LA transplant at the bar (apparently there are a tonne of Californians in the city) and our bartender suggested Clyde Common, which just so happens to be connected to the Ace Hotel. But since we hadn't eaten since lunch we decided it was time for some eats. And besides, they pour them drinks STRONG in the states, and some sobering up food was needed.

We decided to stop at Santeria for tacos. Although this place is notorious for slow service, I can't resist a good taco, so we each ordered 3 (thinking they'd be Vancouver size) and we enjoyed a beverage while waiting. And wait we did-although the delicious mojito made the wait tolerable. The tacos were super tasty and much larger than anticipated. Not my favourite ever, but really good. And the place was literally a few blocks from the hotel, where we smartly decided to by-pass Clyde Common and head straight to bed.

Tacos! From Santeria.

Saturday morning was fuzzy and headachy at best so we decided to head to a breakfast place called Bijou Cafe, which came recommended by the morning desk clerk at the Ace, who also happened to be Celiac. Now I realize we are completely spoiled with great breakfast places in Vancouver, but Bijou left us completely underwhelmed. As far as GF choices Bijou only had the usual-as in omelets, bacon and eggs and fruit bowls. They offer buckwheat pancakes which got me mildly excited until I was told they do in fact contain wheat. The whole experience, from the tea (I love loose leaf, but holy cow give me a strainer with smaller holes! I don't enjoy drinking leaves), to the service (lackluster and absent) to the food (bland, unseasoned eggs in the omelet, a side of greens that was literally only lettuce and homemade ketchup that had as much personality as the decor) left us totally disappointed. We vowed the next day we would make the trip to Besaws which I knew served GF french toast and pancakes.

Besaws:where we should have gone instead of Bijou.

Saturday turned out to be a bit of a bust all round. We did have a bit of a chuckle when we stopped at Keana's Candyland Gluten Free Bakery and Restaurant though. This place is like Christmas/Candyland on crack. We just couldn't stop staring. Just head to the website and look at the pics and you'll know why. We came because of the GF "Elephant Ears" and the boast of 15000 GF products (turns out 14990 of those were just old stale candy). There were a lot of choices for Elephant Ears, which I have never actually had in the non-GF capacity. Gabe loves them when we go to the PNE or a fair or what have you, so I was so excited to try my first one. But sadly, this was NOT a typical elephant ear. It was not deep fried, sugar drenched doughy goodness. It was baked dough (which was pretty good) with pie type toppings. The baker (owner?) talked me in to the "Apple Pie" version, which I assumed would be sorta baked in and pie like, but it come out of the kitchen the heaviest, sauciest apple covered cake that I've ever seen. I mean really I should have expected this just by looking at the place. Now to be fair the actual pastry, once you scraped off all the apple pie goo, was tasty. Nice texture, good taste, but the whole thing was just a bit too crazy to fully enjoy. But it makes for a good story :) (Especially the creepy hand painted "restaurant" upstairs).

Apple Pie Elephant Ear from Keana's Candyland

Saturday night we decided to hit Andina, a Peruvian place in the Pearl District that I had found online, had been recommended to us by Gabe's Dad and was highly praised by the staff at Ace. We made a reso for 9 pm, which was good because this place gets packed!

We were seated at a lovely little table for two in the indoor courtyard, which was, thankfully, out of the very noisy, very busy main dining area. Andina has a separate GF menu, and surprisingly there was little difference between the GF menu and the regular menu. Gabe and I decided to split some tapas so we'd get to try lots of different things, and this was a great idea, considering all the food was delicious. Instead of the typical bread with dips that Andina usually serves to start, we were presented with deep fried GF yucca sticks with a spicy jalapeno dipping sauce. A little dry and bland for my taste, but a really nice touch seeing as I usually don't get offered anything in place of bread. Next we were sent a complimentary teaser app from the chef, which turned out to be a tasty little pork skewer. Seriously delicious and it got us very excited for our meal.

Crab, avocado and prawns...delicious!

We ordered 4 tapas to split and honestly we could have done two! But we're always victims of hungry eyes, so we tried the Chorizo (which was surprisingly bland), the Picadillo Acebichado (beef tartar, with raw quail egg-this one was all Gabe, I don't touch that type of stuff), Conchas a la Parmesana (delicious baby scallops in a lime parmesan sauce) and Palta Rellena de Cangrejo (an avocado stuffed with crab and poached prawns-very tasty).

Scallops in parmesan and lime, chorizo and beef tartar.

We were way too full for dessert but our server graciously presented us with GF cookies and a glass of dessert while each as a sweet treat. Overall a really great dining experience.

Sunday morning we tried to make up for Saturday's breakfast and headed to Besaws, where I had great GF french toast and Gabe had this crazy thing called a Croque Madam-which he said was amazing. You can also substitute GF toast/bun for the regular variety on their eggs dishes.

Nothing better than a little GF French Toast

Our meal at Besaws got Sunday off to a much better start and we wandered around Nob Hill (charming!) and sipped hand muddled strawberry lemonade. Sadly we still had a long drive back to Vancouver so we hit the road and stopped at the Westfield Southcenter Mall in Renton (where Gabe discovered the ebar at Nordstroms offered several varieties of GF cookies. So of course I had to try those :)

Cookies! Yummers.

As we made our way through Seattle we decided it was way past dinner time and that we should stop for a bite. I had heard about Blue Moon Burgers and we decided to give their location in Capital Hill a try. I loved this place. First of all there is a big sign right at the door that talks about how they offer GF buns and bread, and that they keep a fryer for dedicated oil. The server was super knowledgeable and I really felt like they "got" the whole GF thing. I was still way too full to order a burger, so I opted for a grilled cheese sandwich, which was really yummy, as were the fries. Gabe had a non-GF Cajun burger which wasn't quite spicy enough for his tastes, but still gave a thumbs up to. The meal was cheap and filling and the service was great. I could totally see one of these places fitting right in in Vancouver. Oh and did I mention that they also serve GF beer?

That hit the spot.

After a quick trip to Fred Meyer so that I could grab some Cinnamon Chex (sooooo good!) we were headed back to Canada-already planning our next trip back to the crazy city called Portlandia.

Lay's and the Canadian Celiac Association's Gluten-Free Certification Program

2012-05-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I was contacted by Lay's Potato Chips to help spread the word that many of its potato chips have now been officially declared "Gluten Free" as per the Canadian Celiac Association's Gluten Free Certification Program.

GF chips!

The Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP) has been implemented to help consumers identify mainstream products that are safe for people with Celiac Disease. In order for a company to partake in the program it must meet stringent requirements, which you can check out for yourself here and here. Lay's is also proud to say its chips are the very first product to be certified by this program.

Lay's and its parent company PepsiCo told me: "At PepsiCo Canada, listening to and understanding the needs of our consumers is a top priority for our brands given the increased level of awareness of the ingredients in the foods we eat. We are so excited to have obtained official recognition for the Lay’s brand through the Canadian Celiac Association’s ‘Gluten-Free Certification Program’ so that Canadians can continue to enjoy their favourite potato chips without hesitation.”

So all those flavours of Lay's chips you were already enjoying will now have an added level of assurance right there on their package. I love this new system, and the simple fact that we can now TRUST when a package says "Gluten Free". It's about time Canada started implementing a program such as this, although I do wish it were mandatory for all food and beverages, as opposed to a voluntary system such as this one.

Lay's generously provided me with a chip basket so I could sample their GF flavours (although they sent me so many bags I'm going to have to have a chip party!) So kudos to Lay's/PepsiCo and The Canadian Celiac Association for your new certification. I look forward to many more products bearing the symbol, which hopefully inspires more companies to rethink their ingredients.

Thanks for the chip basket!

Winners/Home Sense

2012-04-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I LOVE Winners and Home Sense. I'm one of those lucky gals who has the patience to sift through the racks and find cute, inexpensive items. And remarkably enough both Winners and Home Sense carry a unique selection of GF products!

I haven't tried these mixes yet, but they did catch my eye!

A few years ago I noticed both stores would occasionally have the odd GF cookie mix, Bakery on Main granola bag or random pack of cookies, but in the last year or so Winners/Home Sense took things a little further and actually set up a "Live Well" section which features a plethora of items and brands that are hard to find or not available in traditional grocery chains or even specialty stores.

A feature shelf of 123 Gluten Free Mixes.

Now a word of warning is that not everything on the shelves in gluten free, even if found on a gluten free shelf. Always, always double check the package. You know how things get in big box stores...people never put stuff back where they found it, and staff are more concerned about shelf display and density than making sure everything is in the right section.

Gluten Free shelves with a mixed bag of products.

One of the things I really enjoy about Winners is that they have all sorts of brands you don't see other places, and all of it at a very reasonable price. I can always count on these stores to have a new cookie, baking mix or cracker I have yet to try. Some brands that I've seen here include 123 Gluten Free, Chappaqua Crunch (love the vanilla flax granola!) Gluten Free Pantry, Bakery on Main, Mi-Del (I actually think I was addicted to their S'mores cookies for a while) and Andean Dream. There are many more brands I've seen that I've either not tried and then never seen again or have sampled and forgotten the names of! I love that there's almost always some new product available, and just like the clothes and house stuff, you've gotta buy it quick, because nothing here lasts long.

More great mixes.

I sincerely applaud the big box stores for embracing and promoting the gluten free lifestyle, and for continuously sourcing out new products. Winners and Home Sense were always my go to places for cute and inexpensive clothes, shoes, house goods and gifts, and adding GF goodies to that list just makes me all the happier! With a tonne of stores across the country, you can always count on finding a Home Sense or Winners to grab a quick mix or treat.

Great to see some prominent GF displays!

Salsa and Agave

2012-04-22T20:04:00.001-07:00

I grew up in Alberta, where Mexican food equaled an Old El Paso Taco kit. So when I arrived in Vancouver and was introduced to fresh, authentic Mexican food I was actually pretty floored. I had no idea that Mexican food wasn't supposed to taste like salty ground beef and stale corn chips. One of my absolute favourite places to eat in Vancouver is Salsa and Agave, which completely nails the fresh Mexican thing, and has finally rid me of my preconceived notion of Mexican food.

Courtesy of Salsa and Agave

Located on Pacific St. in downtown Vancouver, Salsa and Agave actually has two locations just a few doors down from each other. The location at 1223 Pacific Blvd. is more of a take out style establishment with just a few seats and a counter order system. 1205 Pacific Blvd. is a full scale restaurant complete with a small (albeit unlicensed) patio. Both deliver the same great food, and genuinely friendly service.

Obviously being a Celiac one of the best things about Salsa and Agave is the amount of GF items on their menu, coupled with the staff's knowledge and the kitchen's awareness. The first time I went I asked if the server could direct me to the GF items on the menu and without hesitation she told me a long list of items I could have. Bliss!!! Another great thing is that I have absolutely no trouble convincing anyone to come eat with me here...It's just a great restaurant that happens to serve a whole bunch of amazing GF food.

Mmm tacos! The order came with 3, but I ate the other 2 before remembering to snap a pic!

Salsa and Agave make their tortillas and sopes in house using only corn flour and most of their meats are also GF, including the chorizo (which is delicious!). Also no risk of cross contamination in a deep fryer as only corn tortillas are fried. Celiacs and gluten challenged folks can enjoy tacos, tostadas, and sopes (all varieties!) as well as rolled tacos, soups, salads and several other Mexican dishes. Of course the standards like nachos, carne asada and chilaquiles are all safe to enjoy as well.

One bite of anything from Salsa and Agave and its easy to tell that everything is made fresh. They serve the chunkiest most delicious guacamole around (make sure to add a side of it to your dinner...wow!) and their salsa is definitely nothing like the sweet, processed stuff that Old El Paso makes ;).

I highly recommend the sopes. This is actually a dish I CRAVE. My absolute favourite flavour is the pastor (pork in a spicy red sauce) but the carnitas and chorizo run a close second. The sopes are topped with super crispy lettuce, beans, sour cream, cheese and a delicious avocado sauce. I love to add a good dollop of their amazing guac and a little sprinkle of hot sauce (be careful as their home made stuff packs a punch) and chow down. I wash it all down with a Sidral Mundet apple pop and I'm a happy camper.

Sopes! One of my favourite foods of all time thanks to Salsa and Agave.

I actually love Salsa and Agave so much that it's become a bit of a joke between Gabe and I as I can't seem to remember to take pics of the food to blog about it! I have literally eaten here dozens of times recently and apparently I get so excited at the thought of my beautiful sopes that I don't even think of taking a picture until I'm almost finished eating :) I'd say that right there speaks for itself.

Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery

2012-03-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was introduced to a brand new 100% GF bakery opening up in New Westminster-Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery. I began following them on Twitter and signed up for their email list and was so excited when the bakery opened its doors mid-February. But as it does, life caught up with me, and I didn't get a chance to pop out for a visit (and a sample!) until Friday. And let me tell you, there were so many delicious treats that I will definitely be making my way back again soon.

Gluten Free Deliciousness

Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery was started by Ray Porcellato, who saw a need in the market for beautiful confectionery products, that just happen to be gluten free. When I discussed with Ray the difficulties of finding a true GF "substitute" flour he told me about his "secret ingredient"-Cloud 9's GF flour mix, which forms the base for all of the baking done there. Ray and his team aimed to create a GF mix that could be substituted 1 for 1 with regular flour in any recipe. I love the fact that all the different products at the bakery were created with just this one mix. No more swapping and experimenting with different blends for different products. Just one simple mix, which of course is available for purchase at Cloud 9.

Cloud 9's GF flour mix.

One of the many things I loved about Cloud 9 is that it's a beautiful space with awesome staff and great customer service. Ray and I discussed how a loyal gluten free customer base shouldn't be taken for granted just because there are limited places offering GF goods. I'm a huge proponent of good customer service (as you might know from reading some of my other posts ;) and I was blown away at Cloud 9. Ray was really passionate about his brand and the lady working the counter (who's name I didn't get-oops!) was so super friendly and helpful!! Ray loaded me up with a goody box of treats to try including many customer favorites. It took all my will power not to rip in to the box on the car ride home...but I managed to resist.

Buns and bread and fresh Ginger Snaps.

I was lucky enough to be able to sample a huge array of Cloud 9's products. Standouts for me included the Peanut Caramel Bar, the Peanut Butter Cookie (oh my god you'd never know it was GF!), the brand new Date Square that was just launched the day I visited and the Cappuccino Bar. Honestly there wasn't one thing I didn't like (which is just pure trouble for me-I made sure Gabe tried healthy portions of everything!). The other two cookies I tried were really excellent-Ginger and Chocolate Chip. Really solid, would-definitely-buy-again cookies! I also tried the Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecakes (who doesn't love a good cheesecake!) the Rum Balls (I called them Yum Balls), Chocolate Brownie, Nanaimo Square, Lemon Square and Peanut Butter Bar. For good measure I also tried a couple hamburger buns, which had great texture and nice flavor...perfect for the upcoming BBQ season.

I love a classic Date Square.

Cloud 9 also offers what looked to me to be the prettiest cupcakes in New West. These things look just like those "other" pretty cupcakes that us Gluten-able people cannot enjoy. No, scratch that, they look BETTER than those cupcakes. And with kinds like Carrot with Cream Cheese Icing, Chocolate Pistachio (!!!), Chocolate Raspberry, Vanilla Butter Cream and Chocolate Peanut Butter I have a feeling my days of cupcake envy are over.

Ohh Pretty Cupcakes!

But wait, there is still more! Cloud 9 also makes biscotti, bread and hamburger buns, scones, loaves, muffins and full size cheesecakes. They probably have the biggest selection of different GF goods I have seen available at once at a bakery. And the icing on the Gluten Free Cake is that this bakery is beautiful. As an Interior Designer I can't help but survey every space I enter, and this one is just so darn glamorous and pretty!

I love a glam bakery :)

Judging by the amount of NON gluten free customers Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery already has, I'm guessing this will be a permanent fixture in the GF world. It's the type of place I could see making a lovely franchise business off of. Great branding, good product and lovely staff. What more could you want (except maybe one of those the Chocolate Yum Double Layer Cookie treats I saw!)

Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery is located at 1025 Royal Ave in New Westminster. Currently the bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am until 6 pm. Be sure to like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter And while you're at it like ME on Facebook and Follow ME on Twitter!

Oh and did I mention the free GF doggie treats? Great touch.

New York Fries

2012-03-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Oh mall food. We've all been there. We're in the food court. We're hungry. And our options look pretty bleak. Many a time I've been happy to spy that yellow and black sign: New York Fries.

Mall Saviour

Hand cut, skin on, fried in non-hydrogenated trans fat free sunflower oil, New York Fries are cooked to order. And because the company only sells-well, essentially, french fries, the oil is not contaminated with gluten from other products. The fries are not coated and only lightly salted. On their website, under the FYI section it does state the the fries and oil are gluten free, but that some of their sauces and seasonings contain gluten and obviously there may be cross contamination issues.

K who doesn't like Poutine? I mean really!

Although there has been some debate online about what exactly at New York Fries contains gluten, to the best of my knowledge the gravy and cheese sauce are both GF*. Please click HERE to be redirected to Gluten Free Edmonton's blog and their correspondence with New York Fries.

So to be very clear here are the items that are NOT GF:
-California Seasoning
-Hot dogs (duh!)
-Malt Vinegar

Most sauces (cheese, gravy etc) and toppings (chili, cajun seasoning) are produced in a facility that manufactures gluten containing products on the same line and MAY contain gluten, but do not contain gluten as an ingredient.

I myself have never experienced a reaction from cross contamination and I would consider myself a sensitive Celiac. I *occasionally* enjoy a delicious poutine (I mean its not often that we get to order a poutine!). The cheese sauce is also yummy. I haven't actually ordered either of the new poutines, but I've read other reviews that they are tasty.

I will be the first to admit that there is controversy surrounding New York Fries as many Celiacs have reported reactions to their fries. And of course mall food isn't exactly healthy. Use your best judgement here.

Hell's Kitchen

2012-03-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: HELL'S KITCHEN IS NOW CLOSED.

If you would have asked me five years ago what Gluten Free items I craved the most I would have told you two things: pizza and croissants. With the remarkable influx of gluten free pizza that has come to the market in recent years I think I can now safely say that I'm down to missing just croissants.

A long time Kitsilano institution, Hell's Kitchen began offering gluten free pizza crusts about a year ago. GF pizzas only come in an 11" size and are two bucks more than regular pizza. When I ordered a pizza to take out I asked owner Andrew Hall about the gluten free status of the toppings, and was told that to their knowledge all offered toppings were GF. (As it has been a while since I ordered pizza at Hell's Kitchen I would strongly recommend double checking all toppings with your server).

Kitsilano Institution (pic courtesy of Hell's Kitchen)

I ordered a "Sergeant Pepperoni" pizza: calabrese and double cured pepperoni, wild mushrooms and thyme. The pizza crust was super crispy, but chewy. Almost reminded me of (what I remember to be) a New York style pepperoni pizza. Hot and flavourful, initially I tried to stop eating it after a couple slices, but I actually could not stop eating it and only managed to save Gabe a couple pieces to try :) Hey he can have dollar pizza on Granville St., he doesn't need to eat mine!

Sergeant Pepperoni...yes please!

I'm also pleased to see that Hell's Kitchen also marks gluten free menu items with a (G) on their Lunch and Dinner menu. Several salads and entrees are marked as GF and look very yummy. Hell's Kitchen is also a perfect place for a hangover brunch. Although the brunch menu is not marked with GF items I have eaten here with success.

I say kudos to such a prolific pizza establishment for embracing the GF community! Hell's Kitchen is located at 2041 West 4th Ave. in Kitsilano and is open late seven nights a week.

My Goodness! Gluten Free

2012-02-12T18:00:00.003-08:00

UPDATE: July 31, 2013. My Goodness Gluten Free is now only open Friday and Saturday, with the rest of the week being dedicated to GF baking courses.

My apologies to the lovely ladies at My Goodness! Gluten Free...I've been promising to do a review of their bakeshop for a while now...but better late than never!

Located at 235 East Broadway (between Main and Kingsway), My Goodness! is a dedicated GF artisan bakery and offers the ONLY GF baguette in the lower Mainland. The owner, Arlene Kennedy, (who is lovely btw) specializes in sourcing top quality GF flours, ingredients and oats, and it's apparent in her baking.

Love knowing I won't get sick!

I first tried My Goodness! at the Kitsilano farmer's market, where I managed to snag a carrot cake before it all sold out. I actually almost cried when I took my first bite (you know you're a Celiac when...). This was the BEST GF carrot cake I have ever had. Super moist, delicious cream cheese icing, perfectly spiced-I actually had to put it in a separate room and walk away to stop me from devouring it in one sitting. (You know you love it when you totally forget to take a picture of it and just snarf it down!)

So I was super stoked when I found out they were opening a storefront location on Broadway. Arlene and co. opened shop May 2011 and have been going strong since. I can truly say that every single thing I have tried from this bakery has made me stop and say "Oh wow!".

Coffee cake-good for sharing!

The flat breads are super tasty and spongy, Gabe actually thought it was better than many gluteny varieties he's had. Try the asiago one...so good! Of course the carrot cake is a must-have, but the coffee cake is delicious too. And both cakes are individual sized, not just a measly little slice cut from a larger cake. These treats mean business! The granola is tops in my book too. I took a bag to a Whistler wedding and let's just say it didn't survive the weekend. I haven't tried the biscotti, but the cookies I've had were very tasty.

Asiago flatbread-like a super tasty soda bread.

Next visit I'm hoping to score a baguette (they are only available on Saturdays after 11:00-until sold out) and I'd love to hit up a blueberry scone, as the maple oat scone was super yummy. (Update: the day before posting this blog I stopped in and picked up a lemon blueberry scone. It was everything I wanted it to be :) Arlene seems to be great at coming up with new products so I suspect she'll continue to come up with new, innovative gluten free treats.

How could I NOT buy one of these?

I know many people with dairy, egg and other allergies would love to see My Goodness! cater to other allergies, but I'm greedy, and I love dairy and eggs and everything else that I still CAN have, so I appreciate that Arlene focuses on making the best GF product she can. I get really sick of buying cardboard type baking that is free from absolutely everything!

My Goodness! Gluten and Wheat Free Kitchen is open Tuesday-Friday 9:30-6:00 pm and Saturdays 10:00-5:00. You can always call ahead and "reserve" items, which is great for an end of the work day pickup. If you haven't been to My Goodness! yet...what the heck is stopping you?

Le Faux Bourgeois

2012-02-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

Ever since moving to the East Side Gabe and I have been curious to try Le Faux Bourgeois. Nestled in a strange, hip little corner at Kingsway and East 15th, the French bistro is always packed with a wait list.

I had seriously high expectations for Le Faux Bourgeois. Every person I know who has dined here has had nothing but rave things to say about the place. Previous attempts to dine here without a reservation had failed, so Gabe and I decided our three year anniversary would be a great occasion to finally make a reso.

The unassuming exterior.

We dined on Tuesday night and the place was indeed packed. They informed me on the phone that we had 1.5 hours to dine, at which point our table would be needed for the next reso. Fair enough. When you're in such demand it makes sense to be upfront about time limits. The table we got, I have to say, was probably about the least desirable in the place. Directly behind the hostess stand, and therefore doorway, it was drafty and kind of in the way. But the food and service made me forget all about the crappy table.

Our server was authentically French, which was a lovely start, although sometimes I get a bit panicky about the gluten free thing when language is a barrier. But our server handled it with ease and quickly left to consult the kitchen about appropriate dining selections. When he returned he walked me through the entire menu, and I was delighted to find that about half of the appetizers and three quarters of the entrees were gluten free.

For a starter Gabe and I split a very yummy Salade Dendives, a beautiful endive, poached pear and pecan salad with Roquefort dressing. I don't always love blue cheese, but the flavours here were so well balanced and fulfilling that I had to give it a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Endive salad deliciousness!

For the main course I settled on the Daube D'Agneau, which turned out to be the very best lamb stew I've ever had. A hearty portion of stew with lamb, carrots, parsnips and peas formed a moat around a steaming pile of mashed potato. The stew had the perfect fragrant lamb taste, but was not at all gamey or overpowering. The portion size was large and I took half home for the next day's lunch.

Lamb stew heaven.

Gabe tried the filet de porc, which was also gluten free-a definite bonus when I can taste test! This dish was a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin served with carrot puree, kale, mushrooms and juniper jus. Gabe loved the dish, but I'm not wild on pork so it wasn't really my thing. The sauce was a little sweet as well, but Gabe thought the whole dish was a fantastic texture feast. All in all the entrees were wonderful. The lamb stew was so good that I might actually have a hard time trying something new when we go back! It's one of those meals that you can conjure the flavour up in remembrance at any given time.

Gabe's beautiful pork tenderloin.

On to dessert...which is always my favourite part :) When our excellent server returned with dessert menus he informed me that three out of the four desserts were gluten free! That, my friends, is almost unheard of odds! Usually I'm stuck deciding between gelato or flavoured tea. While I definitely eyed the nut crusted chocolate silk cake (that one's for next time) I absolutely ADORE creme brulee, and I knew that I could not leave without trying Le Faux Bourgeois's version. Pretty fantastic decision. The creme brulee was flawless. Perfectly caramelized sugar on top, cold and creamy inside, and the most amazing vanilla bean finish. Probably the most satisfying dessert I've had in a very long time.

The perfect happy ending.

The prices at Le Faux Bourgeois are more than reasonable. Our endive salad was $10, the mains just under $20 each and the dessert $6! I only drank tea, but Gabe ordered a martini and a beer, and both were well priced. The ambiance is charming, the service top notch and the food absolutely dynamite. No wonder this place is pretty much reservation only!

Le Faux Bourgeois is open Tuesday-Sunday 5:30-12:00. They also have a portion of the bistro open daily until 4:00 for a quick coffee. Located at 663 East 15th Ave, this little strip is quickly becoming the hip spot in this neighborhood, which leaves me very excited to live only a few blocks away. Reservations are recommended, but the eating bar is reserved for walk in customers.

Vancouver's Gluten Free Expo

2012-01-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed Vancouver's first Gluten Free Expo last Sunday at the Croatian Cultural Center you missed a fantastic event full of samples, info and networking.

The expo was the brainchild of Margaret Dron. After struggling to find gluten free fare for a close friend with Celiac Disease, Margaret was compelled to start her very own GF expo to bring consumers and manufacturers together. Five busy months later the GF Expo was born. Margaret arranged for 40 exhibitors to showcase their wares and invited the Vancouver Food Bank to be the beneficiary of the entrance donations. I was particularly moved by this, as, like Margaret said to me via email "Celiac has no financial boundaries". Because of the hard work of the GF Expo, the Vancouver Food Bank is re-evaluating their 125 branches to "educate their branch managers and enable clients of the food banks to specify their gluten free needs so that they don't have to choose between health and turning to the food bank". The Gluten Free Expo raised nearly a tonne of gluten free food and over $1000 in cash for the food bank.

Yummy Crunchmaster crackers.

The expo was smoking busy when I arrived just past 11:30, and thankfully I pre-registered and didn't end up waiting long in line. A sizable pile was growing with donations for the food bank, and the room was buzzing with GF energy!

A big crowd was taking in the booths!

I immediately spotted some of my old favourites: Glutino, Udi's, Panne Rizo and the like. I was super impressed to see some companies I haven't heard of, as I do pride myself on being on the up and up when it comes to GF products. I did my best not to sample too much... only things I hadn't tasted before! Even a good Celiac has to watch her weight when it comes to over indulgence :)

The Taste of Nature booth.

Ellen from The Celiac Scene gave two very informative talks and both were packed with listeners. The Celiac Scene is really doing wonderful things for our community and I'm very excited to get to know Ellen a little better!

Ellen from The Celiac Scene giving her first talk of the day.

As I talked to many of the vendors most seemed very impressed and surprised with the huge turnout. Several were already sold out of products by early afternoon... a great testament to their products! I was also very flattered to meet several vendors and attendees that follow this blog! So humbled that people are reading my little blog and that *hopefully* I'm helping out our growing community.

A veritable feast at the Kinnikinnick booth!

Some of the companies I had the pleasure of acquainting myself with for the first time were:

Cuisine Soleil- a Quebec based company selling all types of gluten free and organic flours.

No Nuttin Natural Foods-allergy friendly snacks.

Cascadia Gluten Free Foods-tasty granola products.

The Simply Bar-Vegan, Kosher, milk and gluten free protein bars.

Boring Porridge-yummy and interesting GF porridges.

and

Kootenay Kitchen-Organic, Vegan, wheat/gluten/soy free pates and sesame sprinkles.

So much granola at the Cascadia booth.

One of my favourite things at the Expo was testing out some of the new products from some great GF companies. Kinnikinnick was handing out mini jam sandwiches on their new white and multigrain sandwich breads (yum!), Silver Hills was sampling their two brand new GF breads (and was quickly sold out!) and Glutino was passing out samples of their latest "Genius" bread. Special shout out to Martin's Marvelous for providing me with a box of Rosemary Lavender crisps to review! I had a get together later in the evening, and all my guests were RAVING about them. Gabe doesn't even like lavender and he loved them. Couldn't recommend them enough!

Love these Martin's Marvelous crisps!

Please support all of the GF Expo's exhibitors by checking out the following links and purchasing products. Gluten free food has come a long way in the last 10 years and I'm so excited for what the future has in store. Over 3000 people attended this event and 40 vendors exhibited. Margaret has had such positive feedback that she is already planning a Gluten Free Expo in Toronto this summer, and the Vancouver event will become an annual expo, returning next winter, hopefully bigger and better than ever! I highly recommend following them on twitter, becoming a fan on facebook, and signing up for their newsletter to keep in touch and find out what's happening next!

Exhibitor List:

A Celiac is Coming-over 150 GF recipes!

Boring Porridge-modern tasty porridge

Cascadia Gluten Free Foods-bars and granola

Celiac Association

Crunchmaster Crackers-delicious crackers...available even at Costco!

Cuisine Sante International-International cookware

Cuisine Soleil-organic GF flours

Delight Gluten Free Magazine

Grimm's Meats-deli meats and more

El Peto Products-all kinds of GF products

Glutino-yummy baked goods

Hansells Food Canada-Rice Bran oil

Hapifoods-Holy Crap and Skinny B

Kettle Cuisine-awesome soups

Kinnikinnick-one of Canada's leading GF providers

Martin's Marvelous-crisps, salami and granola

My Goodness! Gluten Free-so much delicious baking

New World Natural Foods-bliss balls and granola

Nonuttin Natural Foods-allergy friendly snacks

North of 49 Naturals-veggie pate and sesame sprinkles

Nutracleanse-high fibre food source

O'Doughs-baking and more

Oogies Snacks-yummy flavoured popcorns-some of which will be available at Costco soon!

Organic Lives-shop, restaurant and education about raw living

Pacific Allergy and Wellness-natural allergy relief

Panne Rizo-Vancouver's first GF Bakery

Prosnack-Elevate Me! protein bars

Quejo's-Brazilian cheese buns

Rizopia food Producers-rice pasta

Silver Hills Bakery-GF breads

Taste of Nature-tasty bars

Udi's Gluten Free-variety of GF foods

Vancouver Food Bank

Wellness Foods-Simply Bar-easy to digest protein bars

Wineland Dressing-delicious Okanagan dressings

Gluten Free Expo

2012-01-04T20:04:00.001-08:00

January 22 marks a very exciting day here in Vancouver for the Gluten Free Community... it's GLUTEN FREE EXPO day!!!

Mark you calendars and join me at 3250 Commercial Drive between 11:00-4:00 on Sunday January 22. The expo promises lots of information sessions, products displays and some great networking for us GF folk.

So far the list of exhibitors includes:
-The Celiac Scene
-The Gluten Free Epicurean
-Martin's Marvelous Naturals
-Glutino
-Udi's
-Holy Crap
-Quejos
-Panne Rizo
-Kinnikinnick
-Kettle Cuisine
-Grimms
-Crunchmaster...and a whole bunch more!

I'll be hanging out at the Expo and hope to review all the companies that I haven't had a chance to yet!

Entrance to the Expo is just a (Gluten Free!) donation to the food bank! If you register online you'll be entered for a chance to win prizes...and who doesn't like prizes!

Check out the website here
The Facebook Event here
and the Twitter Feed here

Hope to you see you all there!

Panne Rizo

2011-12-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: July 31,2013- The last several times I've been in, I was really disappointed with my items. Not sure if those were isolated incidents, but be warned the quality wasn't up to standards.

First of all a quick apology for the lack of new blogs as of late! We were moving and it's been a crazy time...but back to the goodness of Celiac and the City!

It's Christmas, and one of the things many (most?) people enjoy about this season is Christmas baking! And being the carb/sugar addict I am, this girl is no exception.

Cornwall Ave. exterior.

Panne Rizo was the very first dedicated GF facility I ever visited, way back in 2002, the year I moved to Vancouver. Opened in 1998, Panne Rizo was Vancouver's very first dedicated GF bakery, catering to not only Celiacs, but those with other dietary restrictions including dairy, eggs, sugar and nuts. Although the premises has changed ownership over the years, the excellent baking has remained the same (or in many cases gotten better!).

I've been a frequent eater at Panne Rizo over the past 10 years and particularly enjoy their Turkey and Tuna Paninis. Back in the day they only made a few sandwiches per day, and once they were sold out you were out of luck until the next day. So I was so pleased to find out that under new ownership the bakery has extended its operating hours and established a more "cafe" type experience. Soups, sandwiches, mac 'n cheese and pizza are just a few of the items you can grab to go or sit in store and enjoy.


Too yummy to eat!

The variety of bakery items has hugely expanded as well. What was once a few great muffins and cookies now includes AMAZING chickpea buns, turkey stuffing, turkey crepe sandwiches (which I just had the pleasure of consuming) and much more. Some of my longstanding favourites including Grandma's Dots-yummy little mini cinnamon buns, raspberry swirl cookies and chocolate swirl biscotti.

Chickpea buns! So very tasty and soft!

I always make a special effort to visit Panne Rizo before the Christmas holiday season, as the little bakery is cram packed with treats. Fruit cake, ginger bread men, sugar cookies and mince pies are something we Celiacs know not to take for granted! The prices are very reasonable and consistent and the portion sizes are good.

Stocked to the rafters with GF goodness.

Located near Kits beach at 1939 Cornwall Ave, Vancouver, Panne Rizo products are also available at a wide variety of specialty stores including Urban Fare, Whole Foods and Quejos. Current store hours are Monday-Saturday 7:30 am until 7:30 pm, and Sundays 10 am until 6 pm. Panne Rizo will also be at Vancouver's Gluten Free Expo on January 22, 2012. Stay tuned for a post dedicated to the Expo!


Come on in!

Celiac Facts!

2011-10-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

In honour of Celiac Awareness Month, which just so happens to be October, I've compiled a little list for those new to Celiac disease. I've found the best way to get friends and family to understand the severity of our disease is to give them some cold hard facts.

October is "Celiac Awareness Month" (logo courtesy of celiacsymptoms.ca)

-Celiac Disease is a DISEASE. It is not an allergy, like you may have to WHEAT, or an intolerance like you may have to DAIRY. It is an (often inherited) autoimmune disorder that attacks the digestive system when an affected person consumes GLUTEN. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye and all of their related grain species. Gluten may also be present in Oats due to the milling process.

-Symptoms of Celiac Disease run the gamut from constipation and/or diarrhea, to headaches, fatigue, and sudden weight lose or gain. The most common symptoms are: abdominal cramping or gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation and anemia. Other symptoms include: bone and joint pain, weakness, infertility, mouth ulcers, numbness in the hands and feet, delayed puberty, migraines and more. You can possess just ONE symptom and still be diagnosed, including a symptom that seems minor, like anemia.

-No matter what symptoms you may have, the damage to your intestines in the same. That is to say if you cheat on your GF diet and only get tired, or have a headache, your body is being damaged the same way someone with far more severe symptoms is. It is NEVER OK to cheat on your GF diet. Not even to take communion at church like my Grandmother tried to make me do (bless her good little Catholic heart).

Yep that sums it up! (courtesy of The Gut Doctor)

-Untreated Celiac Disease can lead to a host of health complications: osteoporosis, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, infertility intestinal lymphomas and other G.I. cancers, gall bladder malfunction and neurological manifestations.

-The ONLY treatment for Celiac Disease is a LIFE-LONG adherence to a gluten free diet. You can not outgrow Celiac Disease, and it is not a childhood disease, as was once thought.

-On average 1 in 133 North American's are affected by the disease, although recent studies have shown that it could be as high as 1 in 100. 97% of people with Celiac Disease are NOT CURRENTLY DIAGNOSED! The average amount of time is takes to be diagnosed with Celiac Disease is 6-10 years, although it took 21 years in my case!

-Although blood tests are becoming more accurate, the only positive diagnosis recognized by the Canadian Government (and therefore allowing you to claim a portion of your GF food receipts) is a small bowel biopsy. I urge anyone out there who suspects they may have Celiac Disease: do NOT stop eating gluten and test yourself out! Follow the proper procedure and have a small bowel biopsy (it's painless and fast). The Canadian Celiac Association recognizes only the biopsy as a definitive test.

-Celiac Disease can manifest at any time, and once a patient is diagnosed, it is recommended that all immediate family members be tested as well.

-Cross contamination is REAL and can make a Celiac very sick! Many friends and family members don't truly grasp how vigilant a Celiac must be. I can't even begin to tell you about the amount of times I've had to explain to people why I can't eat a turkey that's been stuffed with bread stuffing, or why I'll send back a salad that has croutons and not just pick them out. Even trace amounts of gluten can have devastating effects. Using the same condiments as a gluten eater, or having your GF pizza cut on the same cutting board, are more than enough to trigger a severe reaction.

Celiac Disease takes a life long lifestyle change, but the effort is worth it!

-Once a Celiac has a reaction to gluten, there is very little they can do to ease the pain. Some people will take over the counter meds (be sure to read the labels! Amazing how many meds for stomach aches contain gluten!), some people drink lots of water, some people sleep. It varies by person. But it's never pleasant.

-There are so many sneaky things that contain gluten: soy sauce, some potato chip flavours, dips, gravy, some candies, stamps! A Celiac's first job is to get diligent and to never assume. I ate Twizzlers for 2 months after my diagnosis because it never occured to me that licorice could contain wheat. But you bet it does!

-Yes most regular beer contains gluten! So does Sapporo and Bud! Some people will try to tell you otherwise...but not even Sapporo or Bud will definitively guarantee their beer is without gluten (due to the barley malt used). Why on earth would you risk it? Wine is fine (although there is debate about what kind of casking is used-traditional oak barrels could contain glue made from wheat paste). Most spirits are fine (again be careful-even the Celiac Associations disagree as to whether the distillation process removes the gluten molecules). I stick to prosecco, Strongbow and GF beers most of the time, or a potato based vodka (Chopin) or gin.

-A Celiac also must be careful of which skin and hair products they use as wheat germ oil and oats are a common ingredient in shampoos, makeups and soaps. Dermatitis Herpetiformis is an itchy red rash that is often linked to Celiac Disease. I have had several run-ins with the rash myself, usually by stupidly borrowing someone else's shampoo and not bothering to read the label. My entire upper body broke out in the rash, and the only known treatment is the same pills that treat leprocy. True story.

-If I could just say one thing as well to the friends, family and supported of Celiacs out there. It takes some getting used to to stop offering a Celiac bites of gluteny food and beverages. Don't feel too badly. But NEVER ask to try a Celiac's food. Seriously. You can get food ANYWHERE. I know you're curious to see how that rice cupcake tastes, but the fact of the matter is, it probably cost $5 and tastes kinda gritty. So leave the Celiac their food, after all, it's not always easy to come by!

Courtesy of the Canadian Celiac Assoc.

If you wish to make a donation to, or become a member of the Canadian Celiac Association, they are a great wealth of knowledge, especially for those newly diagnosed. You can find them on the web here. Or go to www.celiac.ca.

Ed's Gluten Free

2011-10-08T13:29:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: ED'S GLUTEN FREE IS NOW CLOSED

January 1, 2011 saw the opening of a brand new, all Gluten Free store in Vancouver's Kitsilano area. Already a popular GF destination in Edmonton, AB, Ed's Gluten Free is a great addition to the growing amount of vendors catering to the GF and wheat free crowd.

Look for the green signage that points the way.

Located at 2827 Arbutus St @ 12th ave. in Vancouver, Ed's Gluten Free Specialty carries a range of products from the usual suspects: Glutino, Udi's, Only Oats and the like. More interestingly though, Ed's carries some products I've yet to find at other retailers, including brands like Orgran, Stella's and Molly B's.

I have a couple reason's why Ed's isn't my go to place for GF though. While I tend to buy my Only Oats, Bakery on Main Granola and Mrs. Leeper's boxed dinner kits at Ed's, they are just too over priced for my staples, like Glutino bread, Honey Nut Chex and Nature's Path Waffles. A big redeeming plus is that they carry Kinnikinnick Maple Glazed donuts, which are my biggest GF weakness. Most retailers I've found only carry the Chocolate Glazed or Cinnamon varieties. When you can buy Rice Chex at IGA on sale for $3.99 why on earth would you pay $6.49 at Ed's? I mean even Safeway only charges $5.49 a box.

Ed's has several freezers full of Stella's Perogies, Kinnikinnick, Glutino and the like.

The second reason Ed's disappoints a little is in their selection. At first glance it seems like they have a lot of GF products, but I really find they are lacking, especially in the fresh baked category. While they do provide High Crow products fresh twice a week, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong?) this is the only fresh baking provided. I also find Ed's doesn't carry Envirokidz Cereal (what no love for the Leapin Lemurs?), Pacific Natural's soups or Imagine Soups etc. (Amendment: Gabe just informed me that on our last visit they DID indeed have Envirokidz cereals-maybe they are slowly ordering more stock?) Baking mixes and flours are well represented though.

Pretty good baking section. One of Ed's main draws.

I have big dreams that this place will become a one stop shop for everything a Celiac girl like me needs, but it's just not there yet. And while they have a lot of products, they just don't have enough selection. Pair that with the higher than average prices and service that's, well, non-existent most of the time (unless you count a silent ringing in of purchases at the end-would it kill you to say hi to your customer's at the door?) Ed's is just a pit-stop in my weekly grocery regime.

Safeway

2011-09-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

To my knowledge Safeway was Canada's first major grocery chain to embrace gluten free products. Many years ago they launched a "Natural Foods" section that contained gluten free, organic and vegan foods, beauty products and cleaning supplies. Eventually this section was re-incorporated into the general layout of the store, making it much more difficult to isolate GF products. While I think this was a huge mistake, Safeway has recently redeemed itself a little by providing a small section specifically for gluten free foods, as well as two small freezers stocked with brands such as Kinnikinnick, Glutino and Udi's.

The GF section

I truly wish that Safeway would consider opening up their "Natural Foods" section again, for while they stock many GF products, the fact that they are mixed in with the regular groceries makes them hard to source, and sometimes even potentially cross contaminated. I have never had a problem myself, but I have certainly read about Celiacs who cannot eat GF baking mixes that are in the same aisle as regular flour and baking mixes because of the airborne cross contamination. Another reason for segregation.

I also don't understand why Safeway has two different freezers for GF products. One freezer is actually in the bakery section and contains Kinnikinnick products. The other freezer is in the regular freezer aisle and contains Glutino and other mainstream brands. I can only assume Kinnikinnick is paying to have their products with the other "regular" baked goods? You can also find their cookies and mixes on a shelf in the bakery. To be honest, this is a huge turn off for me, as I don't want to have to go anywhere NEAR the bakery in a grocery store. Not only do I find it depressing to look at all the beautiful glutinous baking, but I don't want anything I eat near gluten. So I'm not sure if Safeway is to blame for this or Kinnikinnick, but either way I'm not a fan.


Looks for the signs...except not everything is labelled...

While I applaud Safeway's recognition of GF products I think they still have a long way to go (as do many other grocery providers). Most label around half of their GF products with a "Gluten Free!" label, but fail to identify many other GF items (and I'm not talking about the obvious and naturally gluten free items either!). While I tend to know the products I am looking for, I think someone new to the Celiac world doesn't necessarily benefit when only half the available GF products are labelled. We as Celiacs need to be vigilant about reading and learning labeling. And if you rely soley on the grocery chain to mark all the GF products you'll miss out on some great finds. I've often thought that maybe I should market myself out to grocery stores to label all of their GF products...hmmm...do I smell a side business idea?

Generally I find Safeway moderate to high on the price scale, often beating out Ed's Gluten Free for prices, but coming in slightly higher than Choices. While their product changes from store to store, the consistency of items is still there. At least knowing that you can always get bread, pizza crusts and cereal at any Safeway is nice piece of mind. Safeway carries brands like Bob's Red Mills, Glutino, Tinkyada and Celimix.