Carol's Culinary Cues - May, 2010

 (c) Carol Fenster, Ph.D. - President, Savory Palate, Inc.

8174 South Holly St., #404, Centennial, CO  80122

800.741.5418

ISSN 14244

IN THIS ISSUE:

-NEW PRODUCTS AT EXPO WEST

-BABYCAKES, NYC IN LOS ANGELES

-FOOD FOR THOUGHT

-WHAT IS CAROL READING?

-WHERE IS THE WORLD IS CAROL?

NEW PRODUCTS AT EXPO WEST

Gluten-free everywhere!! That’s how I felt at this year's Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. This trade show, open only to businesses, features just about every item you can buy at a natural food store and with over 52,000 visitors and over 4,000 booths, it was HUGE.

I have attended this show every year since 1996 and, for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of new gluten-free products. Some were from already-established companies who were launching a gluten-free line to their existing products such as King Arthur Flour’s new gluten-free mixes, French Meadow’s new gluten-free breads and pizzas; and Rudi’s and Udi’s (both Colorado companies) new gluten-free breads. I am always so proud of our Colorado companies at these shows and both Rudi's and Udi's deserve our thanks for branching out into the gluten-free marketplace.

Carol and her books on display at

Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim, CA  2010

Some exhibitors were companies with well-established gluten-free lines who introduced new gluten-free products such as gluten-free oat flour and quick-cooking oats from Bob’s Red Mill, or English muffins from Food for Life (the same company that makes brown rice flour tortillas) or Sunflower Cookies from Ener-G Foods that taste just like peanut butter cookies but are made from sunflower seeds. We all know Ener-G foods from their many years of gluten-free offerings.

Then there were new products that were quite imaginative, such as Falafel Chips from Flamous Brands, which were crackers but made from healthy ingredients commonly found in falafel, such as beans. I walked and walked and still didn't see all the new companies and products. So many booths, so little time!!!

I will start using some of these new products in the recipes we offer at www.GfreeCuisine.com. For example, we’ll soon offer an Egg Mac Breakfast Sandwich recipe that uses the new gluten-free English muffins.If your natural food store doesn’t carry these products yet, ask the manager to order them. Customer requests are often the driving force behind a store’s adoption of new products, so let your store know.

And, all of your well-known gluten-free companies were exhibitors as well such as Pamela’s, Glutino, Mary's Gone Crackers, Mrs. Leepers, Edward & Sons, Purefit energy bars, Orgran, Maple Grove (you know them as Pastariso pasta), Enjoy Life Foods, Thai Kitchen, and so on.  They continue to bring us wonderful foods.

Another indication of gluten-free’s importance at this show was the display of books at my distributor’s booth. All of my cookbooks were on display, right next to the next-most-important category of cookbooks at the show, which was “raw” cookbooks.  No other category of cookbooks received as much attention as those in the gluten-free and raw categories. That’s me standing next to the display of gluten-free cookbooks in the photo below. My distributors assure that our gluten-free cookbook continue to sell well.

So, rest assured that our gluten-free lifestyle garnered lots of attention at this show and this is a good thing.

BABYCAKES, NYC IN LOS ANGELES

I recently had a chance to visit the new Los Angeles location of Babycakes, NYC. You may or may not know about this bakery. The flagship store is located in New York City and features vegan baked goods that (except for a few spelt offerings) are gluten-free. When I visited the LA branch, the staff was ultra-helpful and explained how they make sure the spelt doesn't contaminate the gluten-free items. I bought as much as I could carry and dined throughout the weekend on marvelous cupcakes and quick breads, all made without gluten, dairy, or eggs. I know how hard it is to bake without these ingredients so I am always grateful to new entrepreneurs like its owner, Erin McKenna who give our gluten-free lifestyle another boost. Thank you, Erin.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"Though a person doesn't grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth, she can still taste the good things in life."

WHAT IS CAROL READING?

With all the plane travel, I have lots of time to read on those long flights. Two books that caught my attention recently were: Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard. It is about a young American woman working in London, who happens to meet a Frenchman on a trip to Paris. They meet, fall in love, and eventually marry... with lots of food events in between. Just plain fun to read. And, I also enjoyed The Butcher and the Vegetarian: One Woman's Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis by Tara Austen Weaver. A life-long vegetarian is ordered by her physician to eat meat for her health and her efforts are both amusing and sad as she has to leave her comfortable way of life and begin eating foods she was taught to avoid. And, I'm just starting to read A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenburg, the writer behind the blog, Orangette. I'll let you know how it turns out.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CAROL?

Friday, May 29, 2010: Montreal, Canada, Canadian Dietitian's Conference

Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 1 PM: Minneapolis, MN, GIG Annual Conference, Minneapolis Airport Marriott

Friday, October 15, 2010 at 2:00 PM at Natural Products Expo East: book-signing of 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes at Nutri-Books booth

Please Visit http://www.savorypalate.com for information on our Gluten Free Cookbooks.