Gluten Free: Mass Bytes at the Gluten Free Expo Report!

Crunchmaster products.

Last Sunday was the Gluten Free Expo at the Four Points by Sheraton in Norwood.  Despite an administrative snafu upon arrival, I enjoyed this tremendously.  The event attracted far more attendees than Healthy Villi or any of the vendors had expected -- it was packed!  I failed to make it to any of the workshops due to timing (and honestly, comparatively to the vendors, interest); some vendors left within a couple of hours of the start having run out of their wares.  But the ones that remained were incredible enough to not miss or be sad about the ones that had prematurely left the building.  I'm sure I'll be writing about the businesses and their food for some time to come.

The most amazing thing was that for the first time in several years I didn't have to think about whether the food I was eating contained any gluten or about cross-contamination.  If I wanted to try something -- and I made a point of trying everything, even little sips of the alcohol with prior approval by my prenatal provider -- I could just shove it in my face.  As could Liberty, for the very first time in her life.  The freedom I felt being able to just enjoy food without worry was truly incredible.

Number 9 salsas.  Another local company.

Number 9 tortilla chips.  Delish!

Some highlights, in no particular order (and I'm in the pictures):

From l-to-r: unknown, Pierce, me, Tracy

* Pierce's Pantry.  I met (two of) the Keegan's -- Pierce, the lovely young man who started the gluten-free food bank, and his adorable mother Tracy.  I speak to Tracy over email on a regular basis; it was amazing to be able to meet, talk (and receive copious hugs from) her.  It was wonderful to see all the signs on other vendors that they were regular donors and heart-warming to see how many vendors chose to donate their leftover event stock to Pierce's Pantry instead of carting it all home.  Tracy gave me a big bag of fresh food that wouldn't keep for long enough to get it to or at one of the participating food pantries in the area.  I'm in possession of some fantastic news about the future of Pierce's Pantry and look forward to sharing it with my loyal readers when Tracy has given me the all-clear!

Hail Merry.

* Hail Merry's Persian lime tart.  Tasted like a vegan, gluten-free Key Lime Pie.
* Rudi's regular and spinach tortillas, a brand new product in their extensive gluten-free line.  They were making these into cheese quesadillas on a griddle.  Delicious!
* Liliana, the Nantucket Pasta Goddess.  While the previously reviewed incredibleness of her pastas resulted in her being one of the first vendors to run out of absolutely everything, she stayed until the end to take in the ambiance of the event and sample the foods of others as a gluten-free attendee.  Beyond making some of the best gluten-free pasta out there, Lillian is a very warm and down-to-earth person.  She and her teenage daughter were so nice -- without prompting, they offered (and did) watch Liberty for a while so I could continue to work and Bill could assist without having a toddler underfoot when my mother had to go home, allowing Bill to go off on his own and get to vendors who would later run out before I could personally get to them.

The _Underscores_ ladies.

* _Underscores_.  While many products at the Expo were free of all or most of the other common food allergens like dairy and casein, this local mother/daughter team was distinctly unusual even for this venue on the basis that the dough and small cakes that they sell are even free of rice flour.  And they're really tasty!  They also put the most effort into paperwork, supplying all customers with an allergy statement and other documentation that goes far beyond the normal level for gluten-free products.
* Twist Bakery Cafe.  A full bakery and cafe based in Millis with seating for 24, entirely gluten-free and providing food for the allergen community in general.  The savory food and pastries are made by 3 chefs, 1 of whom is Cordon Bleu trained, and includes dishes like chicken pot pie and meatloaf.  They were the primary suppliers of the fresh food I received from Pierce's Pantry, including two fantastic loaves of bread and some of the best pastries I've ever tasted such as frosted oatmeal raisin cookies and these little three-layer morsels of chocolate cookies in brownie form, topped by toasted coconut in brownie form, topped with chocolate chips.  Yum.

GF bread made to be eaten from the package.

Yes, grahams.

* Gluten Free Living magazine.  With their digital subscription and paid paper subscription both consisting of well-written articles and mouthwatering pictures, this Quincy-based publication gives the more established gluten-free magazines a run for their money.  Or really, our money.
 * Earth Balance coconut oil buttery spread.  So good that I ate the dairy-free butter with my finger instead of on a cracker.
* Mini Pops.  Locally based in Stoughton, they make popcorn... without the corn.  Instead, it's made of sorghum!  Like wheat, corn is in *everything* as a filler ingredient and some people are starting to have auto-immune and allergic responses to it.  An incredibly healthy and tasty snack.

How many donut holes do you
think are in there?

* New Leaf, a gluten-free retail store in Needham.  $20 for a huge tub of donut holes?  Don't mind if I do.  Except I didn't, because I forgot to go back and buy it when I was done doing my media thing.  Whoops.
* Inclusive Menu Consulting.  A new local business providing training, information, press releases and sourcing to restaurants, suppliers and caterers about cross-contamination and gluten-free menu options.  Genius.
* Happy Family.  If you're the parent of a toddler, you probably already know about this highly successful organic company's fruit squeezy packets and yogurt bites that have been approved by Dr. Sears himself.  They now make whole toddler meals in a box that are also organic and gluten-free.

Bakery On Main.  Nice people.  Good policies.  Great food.

* Eastern Market.  Another regular donor to Pierce's Pantry, distributing brands such as Le Veneziane and Hol-Grain to retail stores, restaurants and caterers.  The guy who runs it was particularly nice, giving me several products to try including one of each in the entire Hol-Grain line, and was very humble almost to the point of embarrassment regarding me writing about his business.  If I was involved in any of the types of companies to which he sells, I would certainly give him a call.
* Brasseurs Sans Gluten's Glutenberg.  Making beer containing 100% gluten-free ingredients with *zero* gluten parts per million (tested) at a dedicated brewery in Montreal.  In the year since it's been in operation, they scooped all three medals from the gluten-free beer category of the World Beer Cup 2012.  So far I only tried a small taste of their blonde ale, but after having my second child in January I'll be trying and writing the hell out of this.  You can get it here now via the Massachusetts Beverage Alliance.

Bell & Evans guy.  The chicken was great!

This is just a small slice of the endless joy and delight my family and I found at the Gluten Free Expo and doesn't even go into all the samples I got to bring home that I haven't yet been able to try.  Please keep reading my column for more information, product and restaurant reviews, recipes and even *giveaways* from the many fine purveyors of gluten-free edibles that attended it.  Bon appetit!