GIG Conference in Tacoma

Kudos to the Gluten Intolerance Group for a successful, informative and fun conference last month in Tacoma, Washington. The event included two days of vital information shared by a fascinating group of speakers.

And what about the food? It was truly an exciting time for Celiacs with scores of delicious gluten-free treats available for the tasting from companies such as Glutino, Kinnikinick, Panne Riso, The Gluten-Free Pantry, Energy Foods, Sylvan Border Farm, The Gluten Free Trading Company, Alpine Air, and of course, Glutenfreeda!

Picture an entire room of gluten-free food, all for the sampling! For the gluten-intolerant, it was like having a ‘free’ day from Celiac disease. Two days of being able to taste a variety of treats from table to table without having to quiz the vendors about the ingredients, what a welcome experience!

Some of the wonderful goodies included bagels, hamburger buns, cookies, pasta and much, much more from Glutino; pretzels and crackers from Kinnickinick; convenient and delicious gluten-free dried foods- Black Beans & Rice and Cajun Chicken & Rice from Alpine Foods; oh yes, and even Jell-O! Just add hot water and you’ve got a gluten-free meal on the go! The Gluten-Free Pantry had many new items I hadn’t seen before including regular and waffle ice cream cones! (In our August issue we will feature homemade ice cream served in these incredible waffle cones). One of my favorite tables was Panne Riso, a real-live-gluten-free bakery! From Vancouver, BC, Panne Riso delighted everyone with pastries, pies, cookies, even bear claws! Everything was so delicious! And from Glutenfreeda? Completely sinful, Decadent Brownies (from our November 2000 issue) and Strawberry Cake (from our February 2001 issue).

We were proud to attend this event and proud to be a part of this caring community. If you attended this year’s Conference, I know you’ll plan to be back next year; and if you didn’t, I guarantee you won’t want to miss it!

– Glutenfreeda