Chef to Plate - GF Awareness in Restaurants

Chef to Plate Gluten-Free Awareness Campaign is starting now for May!

Do you know of any restaurants near you that have a gluten-free menu or a clear understanding of how to serve gluten-free foods?

The campaign is free for restaurants. All we are asking them to do is to post materials (which we will provide) that will educate diners about gluten intolerance for the month of May. See our website for more details here: http://www.gluten.net/programs/chef-to-plate.aspx

Please help us spread word of this campaign to more restaurants, so that we can spread awareness of gluten intolerance and celiac disease to more people than ever!

Do you own a restaurant that would like to participate? Please fill out the form on our website here: http://www.gluten.net/programs/add-your-restaurant.aspx

Come to our next GIG meeting on Feb 11, 10-12 at Emanuel Hospital Room # M.O.B (new location!) and get involved!

Harvester - Locally Brewed GF Beer

There's been a lot happening since Harvester announced the initial release of their beer just shy of 3 weeks ago. Adding to Belmont Station and The BeerMongers they are now in 4 additional locations.

They have tasting events coming up at two of the new locations and excited to begin work on their next style of beer, Dark Ale.

New Locations Carrying Harvester Beer
In the past two days we've added 4 new locations around town that are carrying our beer:

Bridgetown Beerhouse - a bottle shop and beer bar in North Portland.
NorthWest Public House - a gastropub and sports bar in Northwest Portland that has a number of gluten-free menu options.
Beaumont Market - a neighborhood grocery store with a beer room in Northeast Portland
John's Market - a bottle shop with an attached deli in Southwest Portland

Upcoming Free Tasting Events
They have two tasting events coming up in the next few weeks. Harvester will be setup pouring samples of their GF beer at two of the locations that just recently started carrying the Pale Ale:

John's Market - January 20th - 5 to 7pm
Beaumont Market - January 27th - 4:30 to 7pm

New Style on the Horizon

The next style that Harvester plans to add to the standard line-up will be Harvester Brewing Dark Ale. This has been a consistent request of many of the people they talk to at tastings. The guys at Harvester are excited to expand the line past the existing Pale Ale. They roasted the chestnuts for this batch to a chocolaty brown today at the brewery and plan on brewing the first pilot batch of this beer tomorrow.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions or comments.

James & John
Harvester Brewing

New Gluten-Free Bread by Glutino

When it comes to gluten free bread, it's amazing what a little fresh thinking can do! Say goodbye to small sandwich slices and say hello to Genius® by Glutino® Bread. A soft and light, full size loaf of delicious bread that's perfect for sandwiches. Change your world and save a buck on bread! 1) Like Glutino on Facebook 2) Download a $1.00 coupon 3) Enjoy a big ol' sandwich 4) Check out delicious recipes and tips for gluten free living on Facebook

Glutino | 360 Merrimack Street | Lawrence | MA | 01843

Jan Mtg: GF 101 and Bridge City Baking

January Meeting 1/14

Our next meeting will be held this Saturday, the 2nd Sat of the month in a new location. Our new regular meeting space is still at Emanuel Hospital, still on the 2nd Sat of every month. It is now on the south side of the hospital at 501 N. Graham, Portland OR 97227. The room is called MOB, which stands for Medical Office Building. It's a meeting space attached the the Medical Office Building.

The room is in between N. Graham and the sliding glass doors of the atrium. Look for the signs.

This month:

Gluten Free Q & A with Dr. Jan Gagnon, who has been gluten-free for 33 years, to start off the new year right. We will have a stimulating discussion on all things gluten-free. Bring all your questions, opinions and problems and let's figure them out together.

Samples by Bridge City Baking, the folks who bring you the frozen GF pies found at New Seasons and Whole Foods. They make both small hand-sized rectangular pies and large round pies for the whole family, parties and special occasions.

Stacie of Bridge City Baking has promised to bring a door prize for one lucky attendee. Not to be missed!

Stacie and Lou are the creators of the gluten-free Mango Cheesecake with Cardamom Graham Cracker Crust for the East India Grill on SW 11th and Taylor downtown.

Bridge City Baking is a 2011 Gold Level Sponsor of
the spring Gluten Free Food Fair.
Thank you, Bridge City Baking!

See you at 10am this Saturday.

Gluten in Medications Survey

Last November, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) announced that it would conduct a first-of-its-kind research study on gluten in medications, funded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NFCA, partnering with St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, is conducting this research in two parts. The first part of the study is happening now: a survey of the celiac and gluten sensitive populations.

NFCA urges all people who are following a gluten-free diet to participate. Participants will be asked about their experiences taking medicine. They will also be asked to share information if they think they might have had a gluten-related reaction to an over-the-counter or prescription medicine.

Results from the survey will guide the second phase of the study: our team will test some of the medicines identified in the survey to see if they contain gluten.

This critically needed preliminary research aims to validate or nullify the anecdotal adverse experiences associated with gluten in medications that have been reported by people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. It is a first step to determine if more investigation is needed which may lead to additional research, labeling, and safe use guideline initiatives. More information about the Safe Use Initiative can be found at www.fda.gov/safeuseinitiative .

We are looking to generate as MANY responses as possible to strengthen our research. We need YOUR help in this effort. We ask that you circulate this message and invite all those who are gluten-free to complete this survey. You also can use the attached article in your organization’s newsletter.

To participate in the this survey, please go to www.CeliacCentral.org/Survey. The survey takes between 4-15 minutes to complete. It closes on February 28, 2012.

To learn more about Phase One of our Gluten in Medications research, visit NFCA’s website: http://www.celiaccentral.org/research-news/gluten-in-medications-survey-now-available-from-nfca/

Questions? Contact Nancy Ginter at nginter@CeliacCentral.org or at 215-325-1306, ext. 101. Many thanks for your consideration and assistance.

Sincerely,

The NFCA Team

national foundation for celiac awareness (nfca)
p.o. box 544
ambler, pa 19002
215-325-1306 ext. 103

Harvester Brewing GF Pale Ale 22 oz Bottles Available

Harvester Brewing Gluten-Free Pale Ale Bottles

Available Now

Harvester Brewing, a Portland, Oregon dedicated gluten-free brewery, just bottled its first batch of Harvester Pale Ale. This flavorful pale ale is handcrafted from chestnuts, sorghum, oats, and pure cane sugar, and generously hopped with Nugget, Cascade, and Meridian hops. The chestnuts are sourced directly from an Oregon farmer and hand-roasted at the brewery. The certified gluten-free oats come from a Montana company that grows them in an area isolated from gluten-containing grains. With its true craft beer flavor this 6.8% ABV brew has been highly anticipated by those whose diets are gluten-free.

The first batch of this beer in 22 ounce bottles is available now at Belmont Station, 4500 SE Stark Street in Portland. As capacity increases we expect distribution of Harvester beers to many more beer specialty stores and natural food supermarkets. We are excited to finally share the first craft beer created in our dedicated gluten-free facility. In the next year we will be adding more styles to our regular line-up. Please continue to follow us on Facebook or sign-up to receive emails through our website so we can continue to share the latest news with you.

James Neumeister
John Dugan
Harvester Brewing

About Harvester Brewing
Harvester Brewing is a dedicated gluten-free craft brewery founded in 2011. Harvester Brewing’s facility is entirely gluten-free, no gluten is allowed on the premises. It is located at 715 SE Lincoln St. Portland, OR 97214 www.harvesterbrewing.com

About Belmont Station Belmont Station is a pioneering craft and import beer specialty store, founded in 1997. Belmont Station features the largest selection of craft beers available in Oregon, all carefully rotated, stored under UV filtered light, and monitored for freshness. It is located at 4500 SE Stark St. Portland, OR 97215 503-232-8538 www.belmont-station.com

Crave Bake Shop wins Cupcake Wars

Local pastry chef becomes first-ever Gluten-Free champion—and first winner from the Northwest—of Food Network’s "Cupcake Wars!"

When: First airing Sunday, December 18, 2011, 8 PM PST

Rebroadcast: Tuesday, Dec 20, 2011 at 8:00 PM PT and Wednesday December 21^st at 3AM PT

The Challenge: Pastry chef Kyra Bussanich, owner of Crave Bake Shop in Portland, OR and the first baker from the Northwest—and first Gluten-Free pastry chef anywhere—to win Cupcake Wars, a highly rated show on The Food Network. She competed on taste, texture and appearance against traditional bakers who had no restrictions on their ingredients.

What’s at stake: Chef Bussanich was the first ever gluten-free baker to compete on the show in December 2010. Though judges crowed about her baking, she came in 2^nd place.

A year later, she was asked to compete again on the episode titled, “The Closer 100^th Episode.” As the winner, selected from 4 bakers who had all previously competed, Bussanich catered a party celebrating the 100^th episode of the hit TV show, The Closer, starring her namesake, actress Kyra Sedgewick.

Book and media appearances: Bussanich has appeared on several TV shows (in Portland and been interviewed in several newspapers and magazines and ezines (Oregonian, Gluten-Free Living). Bussanich is currently writing a book on gluten-free baking and lifestyle for Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House.

About Crave Bake Shop, LLC—Dedicated gluten-free gourmet bakery specializing in cupcakes and celebration cakes, but also offering cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, cream puffs, scones and specialty desserts.

About Kyra: Portland native, lives in Lake Oswego. Graduated from University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Then, after being diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder, she was forced to switch to a wheat- and gluten-free diet. Motivated to make high-end pastries that she could enjoy, Bussanich graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie program in Portland. Disappointed with most of the gluten-free pastries and cakes available on the market, Bussanich began experimenting with alternative flours and developed recipes that matched her dietary needs without compromising any of the classic bakery tastes and textures.

For more information, go to www.CraveBakeShop.com or contact Kyra Bussanich at info@cravebakeshop.com or 503-212-2979.

Crave Bake Shop is in downtown Lake Oswego, on 5th Street, between A & B Avenues.

Available for interviews.