Friday, September 18, 2009

September SGFA Round-Up


Blink....summer's over and the chill of fall is in the air! Our September SGFA Round-Up is long over due - so take a look at these updates and we hope to see you at one of our many events this fall! Without further ado....

Upcoming SGFA Events
  • September 26th - SGFA Meeting at 12PM at the Westbrook Library, with Guest Speaker, Kim Snow, Owner of Aleia's; please RSVP by emailing our new secretary at lunajake AT yahoo.com.
  • Stay tuned for details on the rest of our fall events:
  • October 17th - Mystery Luncheon: A gluten-free lunch extravaganza at a surprise local restaurant!
  • November 14th - A Taste of Gluten-Free in CT and Beyond! Come and taste them all at the Westbrook Firehouse. Gluten free vendors from around CT and beyond will be bring their products for you to taste!
  • December 12th - GF Holiday Cookie Swap: The very popular, kid-friendly, SGFA cookie swap at the Westbrook Library - yummy!
Restaurant Updates
  • Bell' Amici in Guilford - Currently offering a in a gluten free menu -- and here is link to a coupon too!
  • Chain Restaurants with Gluten Free Menus - This is a nice article with links to the set of chain restaurants that have developed a gluten-free menu. A few surprises like Olive Garden!? :-) I would be interested in hearing if any of you have tried these and what your experience was like! Post a comment below...
  • Paperback Cafe - There was a wonderful article on Russ and the Paperback Cafe in the Day in mid-August - here is the link if you missed it. Also includes his recipe for GF Chicken Parm!
Member Travels

One of members, Kristin, traveled to Italy this summer - and had this to report!

Last month I traveled to Italy...where it was unbelievably easy for me to eat! Almost every restaurant I walked into had gluten-free pasta on hand...in Rome as well as smaller cities. One night, I ordered gelato and was surprised to see that the person helping me washed his scoop and took out a fresh bin of gelato for me...without my even asking! It was really refreshing to see how Celiacs are treated in other countries...I hope we catch up here soon!

It took me a while to figure out, but all the gluten-free products are sold in the pharmacy! Schar has quite a number of excellent products in Europe (ciabatta breads, chocolate croissants, focaccia, baguettes, etc) that they apparently don't sell/ship here because they are perishable. There is also another great brand that I encountered in Europe called "Galbusera," which had amazing crackers and cookies. If you are interested, below are two sites that carry some of the products I found: Thanks for the update Kristin!

Product Suggestions
  • Are you longing for good GF at pizza at home? That is BRILLIANT? Run to Foodworks in Old Saybrook and pick an Against the Grain pizza crust...I will never go back to any other pre-made pizza crust at home. Crunchy crust, yet chewy too...can withstand a good amount of sauce. Lovely! Try it now!
  • Are you also looking for a hamburger/sandwich roll that won't break the bank? Try The Grainless Baker Buns (also sold at Foodworks)! You get 6 rolls for under $6! And they are good! Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Research & News Articles
That's all for now - stay in touch and see you this fall!