Resource for Going to College Gluten Free

Are you sending a gluten free child to college for the first time? Perhaps you are a student trying to navigate the food filled atmosphere of dining hall food, pizza and bagels? This can be an overwhelming feeling but with some pre planning, gluten free food orders and education this transition can go smoothly. My GF daughter will be heading back to school today for her second year and we both have more confidence about this move than we did last year at this time! I have learned of an upcoming web seminar sponsored by NFCA(National Foundation for Celiac Awareness) that may help equip those with needed information on navigating the gluten free diet in college:

Wondering how the gluten-free diet will affect your college experience?Register for NFCA's "Back to School" Webinar
Heading Off to College with Celiac Disease
Sunday, August 29 at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PT
Join NFCA as Rebecca Panzer, MA, RD, LD, offers professional guidance for college-bound celiacs!

Points covered will include:

Explore the challenges young adults with celiac disease may experience living on and off college campuses.
Answer common questions of college-bound celiacs and gluten-free teens.
Suggest ways to best navigate college administration, dining services and social challenges.
Celiac advocate Deb Mailand, a senior at Tufts University, will also join us to share her firsthand experience and explain how gluten-free can be a success away from home and on campus! Register Now
For more information, visit NFCA's Webinar page.

Finally: Gluten Free Pizza in Durham

As written in earlier posts the Durham Mellow Mushroom has launched their gluten free pizza about a week ago. My family finally had the opportunity to visit the Mellow Mushroom in the American Tobacco District for lunch the other day. How awesome it was for those of us that must follow a GF diet to order pizza along with the non-GF folks in our family! Zach, at GF Raleigh did an extensive post when the Pizza made it to the Raleigh market read here for lots of great details! We enjoyed our pizza. It was thin crust and plenty to serve two people with 2 left over slices (6 slices in all). The flavor was very good. The crust was also good but I would have personally liked the crust a little more crisp. Overall I would recommend trying the pizza. I just want to give a shout out to all those Durhamites that we finally do have a place to go to order gluten free pizza and post a few pictures for your review.

Gluten Free Pizza arrives at Durham's Mellow Mushroom

After several weeks of waiting it is true Durham now has gluten free pizza! I first started writing about this back in January. Zach called attention to the breaking news last week in his gluten free Raleigh blog. The company website confirms that Durham, Raleigh and Burlington are the North Carolina test market sites for Mellow Mushroom's new gluten free pizza. And the launch date is Monday April 5th. I know where we are going for dinner!

Note: When I called Mellow Mushroom Saturday evening, the person I spoke with did not seem to know anything about the gluten free pizza option??? You may want to give a call before showing up to order your GF pizza. I will update information as it becomes available.

UPDATE as of Monday April 5th 4:30pm
I did receive an email confirmation from Jason Kemp with marketing at Mellow Mushroom that the GF pizza would be available today. However after speaking with a manager in Durham this afternoon she has stated that the GF pizza will be available to order in a week on MONDAY, APRIL 12; and she also noted they have gluten free beer too!

Mellow Mushroom
410 Blackwell Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 680-8500

Rosie's Plate Expands Offerings on Duke East Campus

I just received an email from Rosie's Plate that they are now offering gluten free food options at Trinity Cafe' which is located in the West Union Building across from the Bryan Center. As a reminder Rosie's Plate is already available on East Campus with selections at the Great Hall. Rosie's also makes it convenient for folks to order from there store in Raleigh with a weekly delivery to Duke Gardens on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00-6:00 pm. Remember to place your orders by Monday evening. See Rosie's website for menus, pricing and order information.

Gluten Free Pizza Comes To Durham!

I have been wondering why there is not a good gluten free pizza place in Durham. I even sometimes wish I was closer to Raleigh to take advantage of all those places that Zach at gluten free Raleigh has blogged about. After reading the recent posts from Zach and from Tiffany Janes about Mellow Mushroom going GF in Raleigh, I decided to call the Durham location. I spoke with their general manager, Andy, who informed me that YES Durham, along with Raleigh and Wake Forest are the test markets for the GF pizza crust!! Andy explained this is a brand new roll out for the company and that corporate would be bringing some GF crusts to Durham on January 19th. He said this would be a "soft roll out" and after that the store would be able to start ordering crusts for use at the Durham location. The crusts will arrive to the store already pre-formed and frozen. I asked Andy several questions and also explained the importance of training their chefs and wait staff to avoid cross contamination of the gluten free crust. Andy was very interested in the information I had to share about the needs of those with gluten intolerance. In addition to the GF Pizza the Durham Mellow Mushroom hopes to start offering some gluten free beer to go along with that pizza! I know those of us who live, work and eat Gluten Free in Durham will be excited to have a great place to order GF Pizza. I encourage you to be patient, kind and ask those GF questions of your server in a way that will help educate the staff at Mellow Mushroom. Also if you go and have a good experience take the time to say thanks to Andy and the folks at Mellow Mushroom. Mellow Mushroom is located in the American Tobacco District of Durham:

410 Blackwell Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 680-8500

Reminder: Teer House Community Education Presents: CELIAC DISEASE-NEW DIET OPTIONS

Just a quick reminder as you prepare your new January 2010 calendars. Sign up for the free nutrition seminar at the Teer House in Durham, presented by Lesley Stanford, MS,RD. The seminar is titled "Celiac Disease: New Diet Options" and is Tuesday, January 19th 6:30-8:00. You may get directions and register here. If you would like further details review my earlier post.

Mediterra Grill, Restaurant Review

I recently had lunch at Mediterra Grill, which offers authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Located in the Pavilion East, off Erwin Road, it is convenient for those who work at or around Duke University. There is casual sit down dining and take out is also available. The menu offers daily specials and a nice explanation of what ingredients are used to make an item. Example: Humus: chick pea, tahini, lemon juice or Chicken Hashwi: rice, ground beef topped with shredded chicken and nuts. The prices are reasonable ranging from $2.99 to $9.95. Take a detailed look at the menu here. The staff was very helpful in answering my questions and because you order at the counter you have a good look at the deli case and the items being prepared. As with all gluten free dining experience ask questions and make your requests known. I found this to be a good gluten free dining option. Note: They offer several gluten free dips, but bring your own crackers as pita bread is not gluten free!

Mediterra Grill‎
Pavilion East

2608 Erwin rd, Suite 136
Durham, NC, 27705
Phone:919-383-0066
Fax: 919-383-0061

Teer House Community Education Presents: Celiac Disease: New Diet Options

I had lunch last week with a colleague of mine: Lesley Stanford. Lesley has worked at Duke University as a dietitian for the last 21 years and has staffed the pediatric G.I. clinic for the last 12 years. In fact she was the dietitian that spoke with me while my daughter was undergoing her endoscopy procedure and later diagnosis of Celiac Disease. As part of Duke's community education series, Lesley will be speaking at the Teer House located in Durham. Her talk is entitled Celiac Disease: New Diet Options. Lesley explained that she hopes to make this a practical talk with an exchange of ideas. While Lesley does not have Celiac Disease herself, she has much experience talking to families and children with Celiac Disease and other medical conditions. She has tried several gluten free products and gathers wonderful tips from her patients. This class is FREE and open to the public. The Class will be held Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 6:30-8:00 pm. Registration is required. I know January seems like a long time off but if you want to assure your spot in this class you can register now. For further information, directions and to register click here.

Gluten Free Dining at Duke Expands

Are you a Duke Student, Faculty, or Staff? Well the gluten free options on campus have just enlarged with the recent addition of Rosie's Plate gluten free products to The Great Hall on a daily basis. The Great Hall Dining Facility located on Duke's West Campus is also open to the public. I was contacted by Rose Waring, the owner of Rosie's Plate earlier this week and she asked that I let Durham folks know of this new option for gluten free dining. She explains "I wanted you all to be the first to know the latest greatest exciting news from Rosie’s Plate! Bon Apetit has invited us to offer Rosie’s Plate at the Great Hall Café on Duke’s West Campus. We just started this past Monday and we’re stocking a great selection of our baked goods and savory items. We’re especially excited because the Great Hall Café is open to all Durham residents, not just students, so it’s a really convenient way for people in Durham to enjoy Rosie’s Plate every day." According to Rose daily products will include:

In the Cold Case you will find:

• entrees with sides, salads, soups, dips and desserts
  

The bakery display is right at the front of the café and includes

• includes sugar cake doughnuts, pita, muffins, trail mix bars, single

• cookies, cheese crackers, graham crackers, granola and cupcakes
  

Rosie's Plate, located in Raleigh, is a completely gluten, shellfish, and peanut free facility.
To help serve Durham customers they have been providing a weekly delivery service on Tuesdays at Duke Gardens, you can read more about this option from my earlier post. If you are wondering about parking on Duke's West Campus, click here for further information. Having a daily presence at the Great Hall is a wonderful convenience for Durham residents, Thank You Rosie's Plate!