A Weekend for Gluten-Free Expos!

Like free stuff? Like GLUTEN-FREE free stuff? 

Want to know more about how to live a healthy gluten-free lifestyle? 

Want to try different gluten-free foods and meet companies who are helping the gluten-free community? 

Well you have a really awesome chance THIS weekend at two Gluten-Free Expos: one in Charlotte NC and one in Roanoke VA! 

I WILL be at the event in Roanoke, so if you are in the SW VA area, I'd love for you to stop by and say hello! 

The Charlotte NC Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event: 

April 13, 2013

10 am - 4 pm

The Blake Hotel

555 South McDowell Street 

 Charlotte, NC 28204

REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE Featured Speaker:

Carol Kicinski 

America's Gluten Free Voice

Featured Speaker from SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE Magazine

 "Embracing the Gluten Free Lifestyle" 

Gluten Free TV Chef - Daytime TV - Nationally syndicated (NBC) in 3rd season, 

Founder & Editor in Chief of SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE magazine, 

Cookbook Author, GF Blogger since 2007, food writer published in over 100 newspapers in America

Lisa Stimmer

"Eating for Vitality Gluten Free"

 Gluten Practitioner, Natural Gourmet Chef & Healthy Lifestyle Coach

Just because you're Eating Gluten-Free,Doesn't mean you're Eating Healthy!

Eating the Right Balance of high quality foods creates more

Energy, Mental clarity, Fat loss, Hormonal balance and Optimal health!

Roben Ryberg

Roben is a food writer, specializing in cutting-edge food science developments. Major breakthroughs include: how to make gluten-free food taste great, how to bake with single gluten-free flours, how to retain moisture in gluten-free baking, how to achieve great texture and moisture using just whole grain flours, and, most recently, developing fabulous recipes for the microwave.

Chef Peter Pollay

Posana Café’s Executive Chef and co-owner, Peter Pollay, is an honors graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. Posana Cafe is the only dedicated gluten free restaurant in N.C. and has passed the taste test of some of the food industry's hardest critics as being the place "Where Gluten Free Goes Unnoticed"

Chef Peter Reinhart

Chef on Assignment at Johnson & Wales Culinary Institute, Cookbook Author, James Beard Award Winner, and expert on baking. His newest book was co-written with Denene Wallace and is now available "The Joy Of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking"

Dr Akiba Green

Dr. Akiba Green is a chiropractic physician who concentrates his practice to the treatment of chronic neurological and metabolic conditions.  He is widely recognized as a leader in the non-drug treatment of thyroid conditions, autoimmune disease, alternative and integrative cancer care, fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy, diabetes and other chronic neurological and chronic metabolic conditions. 

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Stay tuned to our page for announcements on Speakers & Presentations

Please contact our Event Coordinators,
Nikki Everett & Jennifer Harris,
for more information on being a Vendor/Sponsor or Attendee
irresistiblyglutenfree@gmail.com
or 704-804-4090

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Southwest Virginia’s 2nd Annual Gluten-Free Expo

April 13, 2013

10.00 am – 2.00 pm

Free admission for all

Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke, VA (inside entrance by A.C. Moore)

Join us at the Expo where we will have local restaurants, grocery stores, and health stores showing gluten-free products they offer. We will also have educational booths if you have questions about the gluten-free diet, Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, and anything else you can think of! There will be games for children as well.

I will have a booth here and will be available for any questions and help that you may need with gluten-free cooking and baking! 

Bring your family and friends!

Event Sponsors:

         

AND

South West Virginia Dietetic Association

All Things Healthy – Daleville, Va

For More Information about the SW Virginia Gluten-Free Expo: 

Please contact us at swvaglutenfreeexpo@gmail.com

Charlotte, NC Gluten Free Allergen Free Expo 2011

On Saturday April 30th I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Gluten Free/ Allergen Free Expo in Charlotte NC. This event was organized primarily by Nikki Everett, a member of the Charlotte gluten free community. Nikki's 10 year old daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago and ever since Nikki has lead the way to offer the community a yearly gluten free expo to share the gluten free & allergen free products that are available. This year's event had incredible speakers such as Dr. Alessio Fasano, Director of the Celiac Disease Research Center at the University of Maryland,  Dr. Peter Osborne, Founder of Gluten Free Society & Town Wellness Center, Chef Peter Reinhart from Johnson and Wales University, Chef Pamela Roberts, and Jules Shepard celebrated gluten free cookbook author and creator of Jules Gluten Free Flours. Please make sure to watch Channel 14 Carolina's story on the GF Expo!

Saturday morning Michael and I drove into downtown Charlotte for the event. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. While I've lived in North Carolina since 2000, I don't often have the chance to visit the beautiful city of Charlotte! This was a treat!

On Thursday night (before the Expo) I baked 8 dozen of my signature gluten free chocolate chip cookies to give away at the event. While I was not a vendor, I looked forward to meeting people in the Charlotte community and hopefully introducing my blog to them! Next year look for my booth where I'll have lots more gluten free cookies in tow!!

Handing out cookies at the Expo. I can't believe how fast they went!

The entrance to the gluten free allergen free vendor's hall at the Expo. For a full list of vendors please visit the Charlotte GF/AF Expo website complete with links for more information and to purchase gluten free products!

My favorite gluten free "store bought" bread Rudi's was there, along with Udi's, Joan's Great Bakes (yummy English muffins!), and even Luce's beautiful gluten free artisan bread. A local bakery in Charlotte Polka Dot Bakeshop was there with lots of mini-cupcakes and other delicious gluten free products!

One of my favorite finds at the Expo was a local pizza restaurant called "Fuel Pizza" which has several locations in Charlotte and in surrounding South Carolina cities. They served several different flavors of gluten free pizza and it was absolutely the best "gluten-free-restaurant-pizza" I've ever had. It tasted like thin crust "fair" pizza. If you ever have the chance to try out Fuel Pizza, I highly recommend them! I also had the opportunity to try Redbridge gluten free beer for the first time. As you know, I don't drink and it just tasted like "beer" to me, but for those who like to enjoy a cold one every now and then, it's great to know this product is available!

One of the major highlights of the Expo for me: Meeting gluten free cookbook author Jules Shepard of Jules Gluten Free and new blogger Pam of  I'm a Celiac. Pam was such a sweetheart and it was so much fun to meet a fellow gluten free food blogger from North Carolina! I look forward to getting to know Pam in the upcoming year to discover more gluten free options in the piedmont area of NC!  Jules was absolutely adorable and just so friendly! As Pam said in her post, it was like meeting old friends!  I don't know how Jules does all that she does! She was sharing gluten free muffins and fresh focaccia bread along with selling her awesome cookbooks and she even had a gluten free cooking lesson nearing the end of the Expo.  Make sure to check out Jules big event this weekend: 1in133.org and please sign the petition to encourage our law makers to require companies to test their products for gluten if they want to label them gluten free.

There were fantastic restaurants represented at the Expo such as Posana; a completely gluten free establishment in Asheville NC! Another place cool place was Nothing But Noodles, which is available at several locations in Charlotte NC. They serve up really creative gluten free dishes using thai rice noodles!

A really lovely product at the Expo was Luce's Gluten Free Artisan Breads. The breads were so beautiful and rustic that at first I had a hard time believing they were gluten free! Make sure to check out their website for information on ordering!

Lindy's Gluten Free Goodies was a new discovery to me, thanks to Pam of I'm a Celiac. Lindy has a gluten free bakery in the Greensboro area of NC and also offers a cookbook, gluten free cooking classes, and more!

One of my favorite parts of the Expo:  The awesome variety of demonstrations and talks offered. We attended Chef Peter Reinhart's demonstration of low carb, gluten free baking.

2nd row seats!! :-) We sampled Chef Reinhart's gluten free low carb breadsticks which were made with almond flour, sesame seed flour, almond milk, eggs, a tiny bit of xanthan gum, and garlic. They were delicious!

Chef Reinhart is currently working on writing a low carb, gluten free cookbook with fellow author Denene Wallace, founder of Proseed Flour Mix (a high protein/ low carb gluten free flour). The book should be available in the spring of 2012! I'm looking forward to having a copy!

More vendors at the fair included Canyon Bakehouse breads, based out of Colorado. Walden Farms gave out samples of gluten free, sugar free chocolate syrup and pancake syrups. Against the Grain shared gluten free pizza, baguettes, and rolls. Gluten Free By Beverly also shared delicious gluten free pizza!

Other amazing vendors included (please Google them for more information): 1-2-3 Gluten Free, Allerenergy (pretzels! Yum!), American Key Foods Products, Bakery on Main, Bath Nook, Beth's Acupuncture, Bone Suckin' Sauce, Brain Balance, Carolina Digestive Associates, Cecilia's Marketplace, Celiac Disease Research Center, Charlotte Gastroenterology, Chebe, Clear Allergy Labels, Cupcakistry, Custom Choice Cereal, Delight Gluten Free Magazine, EarthFare (including a variety of GF products they carry), Elle Palmer, Farmo, FFarms, From Scratch, Full Flavor Foods, Gallolea Organics, Garden Spot Distrubutors (including a variety of GF products they carry), GIG Piedmont Triad, Glutino/Ian's, Healthy Home Market (including a variety of GF products), Bob's Red Mill, Healthy Meals from Home, Healthy Priorities, Jason's Deli, Juice Plus+, Katz Gluten Free Bakery, Kettle Cuisine, Kinnikinnick Foods, Labrems Cookies, Lake Norman Health & Wellness, Living Without Magazine, Mary's Gone Crackers, Matthews Family Chiropractic, No Nuttin', Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Pro Pack Group, Resves INC, Tasty of Sunrise, Tasty Yo LLC, The Thoughtful Baker, Total Nutrition Technology, Twin Cakes Bakery, Whole Foods Market.

Last but not least, one of my favorite vendors was Judy of Coconut Treasures, Inc. I'll share more about Coconut Treasures in another post, but these little bites of coconut, hemp, and honey goodness are truly delicious! They are mostly organic and are made locally in Charlotte and are highly nutritious!  I bought a package of these coconut treats home with me and honestly wish I had bought several more to put in the freezer! I had one last night as my "dessert" and it was such a satisfying sweet treat that met my chocolate & sweet craving head on!

Next year I plan on being a vendor at the 2012 Charlotte GF/AF Expo and I would love to hear your thoughts on this truly incredible event if you attended this year! Many, many thanks to coordinator Nikki Everett and all of the Charlotte area volunteers who put so much time and energy into this event! It made me very proud to be gluten free in North Carolina!