Sunday, October 6, 2013

Gotta Love Gluten Free Deals at Costco

Costco is my husband's favorite place to shop...he loves going "hunting" for things in this store and look what he came home with tonight:  the large size 30 oz restaurant style Udi's bread, located right in the bread/bakery section.  This picture shows the Costco loaf cost $6.79 per 30 oz loaf and the 12oz loaf that you find at regular grocery chains and costs $5.69.
   Cost comparison:
   Costco Udi's loaf  is 23 cents per ounce
   Grocery Chain loaf  47 cents per ounce (more than twice the amount)
Thank you Costco, this is a great deal on a great product!  Costco does a really great job of offering a variety of gluten free products and labeling them well.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Cocoa Cinnamon


Durham just keeps getting better in so many ways!!!  I had been hearing about Cocoa Cinnamon from GF daughter and others and finally got the opportunity to stop by one Saturday morning. This place is much more than just another coffee shop.  They serve coffee, teas, sipping chocolate, beer, wine AND OFFER GLUTEN FREE GOODIES.  This is a place that seems to get the importance of providing a quality gluten free product that has low risk of cross contamination. The gluten free products are stocked from Zen Cat Bakery and Triangle Raw Foods, both of which I have blogged about before.  The morning I went we sampled some of the gluten free carrot cake.
 
Cocoa Cinnamon is located downtown Durham: 420 Geer Street, Durham, NC right across from Geer Street Garden.  The hours are great, so whether you are looking for some coffee to start your day or a glass of wine to end it , you can enjoy sitting outside on a picnic table or in the small indoor space. 
Mon – Thursday 7:30am to 10pm
Friday + Saturday 7:30am to Midnight
Sunday 9am to 9pm
 


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Reminder Gluten Free and Allergy Free Wellness Event Saturday August 17, 2013


Just a quick reminder the Durham Convention Center will be hosting the Gluten and Allergen Free Wellness event this Saturday August 17, 2013 at the Durham Convention Center from 10-4.  Scroll down and see details from my previous post which describes the event and the speakers planned for this venue. 


Come visit me at the Gluten Free Durham table and enter the drawing to win this GF goodie basket which is a $60.00 value.  I will also have up to date information on FDA's new gluten free labeling rule.  My colleague Kay, from Essential Nutrition  and I will be offering free body fat testing and will be wearing our registered dietitian hats to answer any specific diet questions you may have.    I would love to hear your GF story and also to hear about other suggestions for posts to the Gluten Free Durham Blog, so please stop by and introduce yourself.
I will be speaking on "Living Your Best Gluten Free Life" at 10:45am, so please join me for this interactive presentation where you evaluate seven different areas and examine how these areas impact your overall health.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Geer Street Garden, Restaurant Review


I had been hearing about the GF options at Geer Street garden from my GF daughter for a few months now, but just finally had the opportunity to go check out this downtown Durham dining spot.  Geer Street Garden, offers gluten free bread for 50 cents more, so many of the sandwiches are an option. The manager checked the bread package and said they were using the Glutino brand bread.  For my vegetarian readers, the Glutino bread does contain egg whites so not an option if you are a vegan.   I had the tomato, avocado on GF bread with a side salad, which was very yummy and a little messy, but worth it!  Note the fryer IS NOT a designated GF fryer so if you have Celiac Disease or are very sensitive to gluten you should not order the French fries or the GF fried Chicken or anything else that is cooked in the fryer because of cross contamination concerns.  My friend ordered the fish tacos which were served on a corn tortilla and were a GF option.  You can take a peek at the menu here. When it comes to dessert the wait staff was very nice an offered some of their homemade popsicles or their freshly made banana pudding minus the vanilla wafers.  You can see from my picture that I went with the banana pudding and it was great. I love what Durham in doing downtown and I so appreciate the Durham restaurants taking into consideration the needs of the gluten free community.  The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor casual seating.

644 Foster Street
Durham, NC 27701
919.688.2900


Mon -Thur 11:30am - Midnight
Fri & Sat 11:30am - 2am
Sunday Brunch 11am - 1:30pm
Sunday 1:30 - 10pm


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Volunteers Needed

I received an update from Nikki Everett, coordinator for the Gluten Free and Allergen Free Wellness Event, that they are still in need of a few volunteers for the August 17th event at the Durham Convention Center.

Volunteers receive:
FREE entry to event, 
ability to see presentations, 
FREE goody bag with GF products, 
and the ability to help others. 

Please contact the Volunteer Leader, Beth Mincher, at emincher@yahoo.com to sign up.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

More about the Gluten and Allergen Free Wellness Event


As mentioned in an earlier post, Durham will be hosting the Gluten and Allergen Wellness Event on August 17th at the Durham Convention Center. In addition to vendors, lots of gluten free tasting and support you will have the opportunity to attend various cooking demonstrations and presentations.  I will be there presenting on:

 Living Your Best Gluten Free Life-Evaluating Your Overall Health and Well-being
 
description: Following a restricted diet can impact your life in many ways. Whether you are new to gluten free living or have been eating this way for many years, take the time to evaluate seven different areas that contribute to your overall health and well-being. Participants will leave this session with ideas and practical application to improve their gluten free life.
 
The Line up is shaping up for some very interesting presentations including:
  • Gluten Free in Afghanistan
  • Eating for Vitality-Gluten Free
  • Living Heart Healthy with Celiac Disease
  • Personal Journey to Gluten Free and Beyond
 
Chef presentations include:
  • Healthy Gluten Free and Vegan Breakfast Made Easy
  • Foods That Heal
  • Wendy's Simple and Dee-lish Creations
Follow this link to for more details on the speakers.
 
See my earlier post for volunteer opportunities and further details about the event.  
 
Join me for a great gluten free day~Debbie
 





Sunday, June 30, 2013

Triangle Raw Foods

I was contacted by Jane, co-owner of Triangle Raw Foods, to share a need with readers in the gluten free community.  Triangle Raw Foods is an  all gluten-free and vegan food truck and catering service that started in May 2011.  They currently share cooking space at the Cookery in Durham, but have the vision of having their own place.  You can find their products in such eateries as LoMoMarket, Bean Traders CoffeeCocoa Cinnamon, and soon Whole Foods Market in Durham. You can also place custom orders for pick up or delivery.
According to Jane they are planning to open a café that will be located on Garrett Rd, right off of Hwy 15-501. They will have a 100% gluten-free kitchen (right now they use a shared kitchen space (the Cookery), but with  their own kitchen, they will be able to ensure that no ingredients that contain gluten ever enter their kitchen!!


 The owners are in the process of trying to raise money via an indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to start this Raw Food Cafe in Durham and have less than 8 days to reach their goal.  Curious?  Interested in supporting these folks?  See the owners and read more details here
 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Update: Gluten and Allergen Free Wellness Event -August 17, 2013


As promised I have an update on the Gluten Free Expo that is coming to Durham on August 17, 2013.  I received  more details from the coordinator of the event, that will be helpful for your planning purposes:


Raleigh/Durham Welcomes

Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event

Many of the hottest and newest gluten-free foods, including products from more than 20 local vendors, will fill the exhibit hall at the Durham Convention Center in Marriott Center City on Saturday, August 17, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event. 

Organized by ECHO Event Solutions (ECHO), the event is sponsored by Udi’s Gluten Free, Glutino Food Group, Enjoy Life Foods, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Earth Family, Gluten-Free Buyer’s Guide and Earth Fare.  This is the second year for the gluten-free event in Raleigh/Durham, and a crowd of more than 1,000 is expected to attend. 

The event is open to the community, and it caters to those who avoid multiple allergens, such as gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, grains, etc.  Admission is $10 per adult; kids 13 and under are free, and college students receive $3 off admission with student identification.  Those who purchase their tickets online are automatically entered into a drawing for a gift basket from one of the event’s sponsors.


Sampling of gluten-free/allergen-free foods begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. with guest speakers and cooking demonstrations rounding out the day. Products will also be available for sale, so attendees should come prepared to take advantage of show prices.

The event features lectures from Brandy Wendler, Lisa Stimmer, Certified Gluten Practioner, Certified Natural Gourmet Chef, Certified Nutritionist, Wendy Perry, Taylor Miller, owner of Glutenway blog, and Debbie Jongkind, Registered Dietitian.

Cooking demonstrations are still being scheduled, but one will be taught by Chef Tracey Bloom of FreeCuisine,

2013 vendors from the Raleigh/Durham area include but are not limited to: Bells Monica Flatbread Company, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Ginger Lemon Girl, Kalo Foods, The Celiac Cakery, Tonya’s Cookie Company, and Virtuous Living.

National vendors attending the event include but are not limited to: Against the Grain Gourmet, Bakery on Main, Earth Balance, Kinnikinnick Foods, Living Without Magazine, Luce’s Gluten-Free Artisan Bread, New Planet Beer, and Simply Gluten Free Magazine.  A complete list of participating vendors can be found on their website. 

A percentage of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to local gluten and allergen-free support efforts.  The 2013 Raleigh/Durham Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event will be held at the Durham Convention Center.  For more information visit the website at http://raleighglutenfreeexpo.blogspot.com/, or for directions to the event contact the  Durham Convention Center at 919-956-9404.

Would you like to go to the event for free?

Volunteers Needed: Local Raleigh/Durham folks needed to post flyers/posters around town prior to the event on Saturday August 17th.

Volunteers needed for the day of event - Saturday, August 17th.
Times slots 8am-1pm, 9-2pm, and 1-5pm.  Volunteer positions include:
set-up, greeters, registration and clean up crew.
Please email your information (email and phone number) directly to
Beth Mincher  at  
emincher@yahoo.com if you are interested in volunteering.

Volunteers receive:  free parking, free admission to the event (and plenty of time to walk around to visit vendors) as well as a goody bag with tons of gluten free goodies!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Gluten Free Expo Coming to Durham

On August 17, 2013 the Durham Convention Center will be the host site of Gluten Free Expo. The event details are still being finalized. But mark your calendar for this 10-3 event.  I have attended the Expo in  Asheville and Charlotte, both were well worth my time. Last year the expo was in Raleigh, (I was on vacation, so missed this one); Organizers decided to look for a bigger and better venue  to reach the triangle gluten free community so they settled on the Bull City!  This event is great support for those following a GF diet.  There will be tons of vendors, speakers, cooking demos and lots of samples!  Stay tuned more details to follow....

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Going Gluten Free: Understanding the Diet Craze Community Lecture at UNC Wellness Center

To kick off  Celiac Awareness month I have been asked to provide a community lecture at UNC Wellness Center located in the Meadowmont area of Chapel Hill.  This is a free lecture that is open to the public but the center does ask for pre registration.  You may do so by calling: 919-966-5500.  You can access the lecture information here.

May 2, 2013
6:30-8:00 pm
Topic:  Going Gluten Free:  Understanding the Diet Craze
Location: UNC Wellness Center
 
Description:  Many people are turning towards the gluten free diet recently. Gluten-free products are popping up all over. Is gluten free right for you? Debbie Jongkind, RD,LDN will discuss the dynamics of the gluten free diet. Find out if it is hype or help.

Directions:
The UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont is located in the Meadowmont community, just off Highway 54 in Chapel Hill.

100 Sprunt Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27517