Not Even A Crumb

On The Road (Again) and Gluten-Free in Portland, Oregon

BREAKING NEWS! Healthcare Television Network 

airs Celiac PSA across the USA! 

Today I received  confirmation from Tom Combs, VP of Network Programming for Healthcare Television Network that HTV has begun airing our PSAs in all of their affiliated hospitals! HTV broadcasts in hospital, patient and waiting rooms, and is rolling out in facilities across the USA. Considering the traffic throughout our busy hospitals in this country, I can only imagine the numbers of American's who are being exposed to the facts of Celiac Awareness in just :30 or :60 sec.

If you’d like to share your THANKS with Tom, please include it in the comments below and I’ll pass them along to his personal email.

As I write this, today, I realize that my last 3 posts have been travel related. I never intended that this blog would become a sort of gluten-free travelogue, it's just worked out that I've been on the road for the past couple of months. And like Celiacs everywhere, unless I was digging into the ever-present "big bag-o-gluten-free snacks", I was rolling the dice with every meal.
Even as more and more GF choices find their way into the main stream, the daily dodging of fully glutanized bullets that have us in the cross-hairs at every turn can be exhausting. And  I know that many of you can relate, so blogging about it makes perfect sense. Right?

I'll get back to the newest research and my ideas (and yours) about how to save the Gluten-Free Universe. We have the long cold Winter for that, but hey! Summer's here. Time to have some fun!

OK... back to the travelogue. Somewhere between Monterey and the SF Giants game I squeezed in a trip to Portland,Oregon to visit my daughter, Amy. Also Celiac, Amy has done a great job sniffing out every new GF opportunity in the Portland area. The more unlikely, the better. At least once a week for the past three years I will get a call that goes something like this: "Mom, I just found a great new spot - they're serving deep fried gluten-free table legs. We gotta go!" You get the idea.

Portland is a very gluten-free friendly city. And I love it that above this sign it says: "CAUTION,STAND BACK". I look at this sign I and I envision a gluten-free stampede, hence the warning.  And you know how we are; we can't blame them for being afraid of our jubilance can we?

During the sun breaks, Portland is also very beautiful. Maybe that's the bonus for living much of the year immersed in a grey soupy haze which proves to be the perfect incubator for everything that grows. Good and bad. Portland also loves their food and their coffee which is another bonus for visitors who get to share in that goodness. And they also seem to be a little obsessed with beer. So in this GF friendly atmosphere, it's not surprising that Deschutes Brewery, http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/ , in downtown Portland, has their own gluten-free beer on tap! That's a first in my gluten-free world.

But a primary destination on this trip was Crave (totally gluten-free) Bake Shop. Some readers may remember my story about our introduction to Crave when co-owner Jamie Hogland hand delivered 2 dozen gluten-free cupcakes to Amy's door during her recovery from brain surgery last January. Today, I'm thrilled to report that Amy is completely recovered, although she does have this constant craving for gluten-free cupcakes. Hmmmm. Amy also wants me to mention Crave's GFCinnamon Rolls. A treat that I have yet to sample as they are constantly sold out. Many of you might also remember Crave as the runner up in Food Network's Cupcake Wars.  And how about this for a little Crave Trivia - co-owner, Kyra Bussanich trained at Le Cordon Bleu School of Baking - while gluten-free. What a nightmare that must have been. Talk about commitment! Located in Lake Oswego, an upscale suburb of Portland, this little storefront might go un-noticed on a Saturday morning - if not for the line out the door. Seriously, they sell out everyday. The hot chocolate is my favorite cupcake. Oh, yeah, and there is this ice cream sandwich. Really? Yes. And everything in this bakery is gluten-free. In my opinion, Crave Gluten-Free Bake Shop is destination worthy. By the way...they ship.

Every time I'm in Portland, Amy and I make a pilgrimage to Corbett's Fish House.   http://corbettfishhouse.com/thegluten-freest.html . It's just so completely unlikely to find a restaurant specializing in gluten-free deep fry, I never thought to look. Amy found it quite by accident, and it is permanently etched onto our gluten-free sense memory. By the way...they don't ship. Sorry.

During this day's extended sun-break we took a drive through the farmlands that surround Portland. Then at a 4 way stop, in the middle of several corn fields, we came upon the Cruise In Country Diner. At first glance, this might be just another greasy spoon diner. Then I saw this sign in front and we had to check it out. From the red checkered curtains to the shiny metal tables and chairs and booths, this is like the diner from Happy Days-  all grown up - gone green and healthy. It was packed with an eclectic mix of families, farmers, cowboys and bikers. All apparently taking advantage of the extended sun-break, and, as we were about to discover, a delicious gluten-free lunch.  An older man approached our table as Amy and I argued about whose turn it was to educate our server about our GF needs and concerns. It turned out to be the owner and self-proclaimed "burger master" Terry Hummel. And no education was necessary. From the moment I mentioned Celiac Disease, Terry was in his element. 70 years young, Terry's passion for food is contagious and Amy and I hung on every word. He explained exactly how he and partner/wife, Nancy, keep their kitchen safe.Their gluten-free buns come from a bakery in Portland and are delivered fresh every day. Healthier fries are made in a dedicated, rice-bran fryer using a combo of local potatoes, each possessing various levels of vitamins and fiber.The beef is local and all grass fed. (Apparently that's what cows are supposed to eat.) I'm not a fan of red meat, but occasionally my taste-buds like to be reminded that we are a carnivore. And the Cruise In Diner proved to be the perfect place to take a taste down memory lane.   

Finally, thank you to everyone who has helped to make our Delight subscription offer a success. Today I received my Summer issue and it's another yummy blend of gluten-free food and information. Whether you're hunger is for great GF fare, or the latest research, Delight has something for all of us. And there are still a few days left to take advantage of the  NEAC subscription offer which expires on June 30th. The link to the offer is on the previous post. 

Happy Summer Everyone!

 

Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, lawyer, rocket scientist or King. Everything on this website is provided for informational, educational and entertainment use only and should not be used for any diagnostic purpose. Always consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.

 

Delightful Gluten-Free Donation & Subscription Offer

Note: If you're here to see the Celiac PSA on the SF Giants Jumbotron please scholl down to the previous post.

 

Dear Readers,

Today is another historic day for Not Even A Crumb! For the first time in Not Even A Crumb's (albeit short) history I have a special offer for my readers!

In support of the Celiac Disease Foundation and Not Even a Crumb's continuing efforts to raise awareness about Celiac Disease, Delight Gluten-Free Magazine (www.delightglutenfree.com)  is offering a subscription discount and donation to the CDF/NEAC PSA project. This is very exciting for me. Maybe because Delight is my favorite magazine (I've made no secret of that fact). But mostly because their support is a great validation of our mission.

Here is the message that I received from Delight Magazine:

"To continue raising celiac awareness through the month of June, Delight Gluten-Free Magazine is donating $.50 for each subscription ordered with the NEAC promotion to the Celiac Disease Foundation specifically for the NEAC Project". 

 

Additionally, this offer will include a discount to each subscription. To take advantage of this one-time offer, which expires on June 30, 2011, here are the details:

Please click on the link: http://delightglutenfree.3dcartstores.com/ .  Before your order is completed, put the promo code NEAC into the coupon code box.  (note: it is case sensitive) 

 Thank you Delight Magazine for supporting our efforts to raise awareness... "one crumb at a time"

 

Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, lawyer, rocket scientist or King. Everything on this website is provided for informational, educational and entertainment use only and should not be used for any diagnostic purpose. Always consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.

 

World Champion San Francisco Giants Hit Home Run to Help Raise Awareness

And now the World Champion Giants also lead the World in helping to raise awareness about Celiac Disease by being the first Major League Ball Park in the World to show our new awareness PSA! How did it happen? Thanks to the efforts of the North Bay Celiacs , Monday, June 6th was Celiac Disease Awareness Night at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I first heard about it a few weeks ago and immediately invisioned our PSA on their Jumbotron. I mentioned it to Rita Hopkins, new Executive Director of CDF who contacted Karen Friis, a volunteer with the CDF Chapter of North Bay Celiacs. Then along with their Director, Jennifer Ischol and Sharna Kahn of  Monterey Bay Gluten-Free Living , we all started a 2 week long dance trying to get the PSA to the right people. Our persistence paid off. The Giants stepped up to to the plate, to once again be the history making team that so many fans hold near and dear.

ON BEHALF OF CELIACS EVERYWHERE:

THANK YOU SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS!

Monterey the GF Way

We could see the Rudi's tent as we drove alongside El Estero Park Lake on Sunday morning. Alex and Davis were already cookin' up Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery delicious cinnamon/ raisin toast - with a choice of spreads. Somehow there was a miscommunication and Pamela's products didn't make it to the event. So, always the full-service eventors - Alex ran over to the local Monterey Whole Foods Whole Foods for some extra goodies to fill in the blanks. Truly, Alex and Davis are fabulous ambassadors for Rudi's Bakery. And even though it was cold and very windy, they never wavered.  By 11:00 they were cookin'up grilled cheese and veggie burgers on Rudi's new GF buns.

Costco arrived with a huge cart desplaying a selection of their growing GF items. They provided water and Crunchmaster multigrain crackers. They also gave every one a Costco picnic blanket.

Sharna Kahn from the Monterey Bay Gluten Free Living support group seemed to know everyone and made sure that everyone quickly knew everyone.The "Gluten Doctors", Drs. Vicky and Richard Petersen, drove down from their Sunnyvale Clinic. They answered questions and sold copies of their book: The Gluten Effect.

By noon the wind was howling, thankfully the buns stayed warm. And Alex and Davis kept on cookin' on. And somehow the tent stayed up.

I met Kate Daniels from The WIP.net. (see "So you say you want a Gluten-Free Revolution? part deux" post for more info on The WIP) Kate and her twin sister, Ali, are very recently diagnosed and Kate is already experiencing some dramatic results.

By 1:00 we were ready to pack it in. It was time for a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Jelly Fish  exhibit alone is worth the price of admission. And the Otters are so much fun to watch. But this trip, I think the Sea Horses  are my favorite. If you're ever near the West Coast, carve out some time for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You won't be disappointed.

Ok, back to food and back to Saturday night's experience. Because, ultimately it always comes back to food. We all know that Celiac's are very loyal diners. When we find someplace where we are safe, we will return, over and over again, bringing with us our friends, family and co-workers. Are you listening restaurant industry? What better reason to embrace the gluten-free community? So it's no surprise that we returned to  P.F. Chang'sagain on Saturday night. Plus, it had started to rain and P.F. Chang's was close to our hotel. What happened at P.F. Chang's on Saturday night remains one of the high points of our trip, if not one of most memorable of all my GF dining experiences. As previously noted (reference last post), dining out on any holiday weekend will always be last on my travel list. And given that we'd made the trip specifically for the event on Sunday, I really couldn't risk being contaminated. Manager Bill spotted us and stopped by the table as we were being seated to say hello. We ended up talking about the weather and he  mentioned that the rain might carry over into Sunday. "Did you bring umbrellas?" he asked. "No, we're from Southern California, it never crossed our minds".

We finished our GF soup and GF Chicken Lettuce Wraps (note: The Veggie Lettuce Wraps are NOT GF), when Bill stopped back by our table. I was expecting to hear "How is your meal so far?" Instead he said: "You know, you need to be prepared tomorrow". Then he handed me a white plastic bag. Inside the bag; two black umbrellas! Bill Lewis, manager of P.F. Chang's Monterey had left his post to run out and purchase 2 umbrellas for us. For the first time in my GF life, a fabulous experience at a restaurant had nothing to do with food! If there was any doubt, I'm convinced, P.F. Chang's goes the extra mile to keep their GF diners safe...literally.

I guess the wind kept the rain at bay on Sunday, but I kept the umbrellas close at hand. Sharna introduced me to Uber-Gluten-Free facebook poster, Julie Swoyer Lorenzen. I'm fascinated with the Facebook world, but I am still a newbie. Julie has figured it out. She has over 13,000 facebook friends.

The ride home was uneventful, traffic as expected for a Memorial Day. I was digging into the GF snack bag when we pulled off for gas in Paso Robles. I didn't know that there was a Red Brick Pizzajust off the freeway. What a treat. RBP remains my favorite GF pizza, but I'd never been to this location. So, just to make sure, I quizzed the staff. It was not my intention to make them jump through hoops, I just wanted to be sure. I'm happy to report that the staff was helpful, knowledgeable and ready to show me everything that sets GF RBP ahead of the rest. We ordered the Hawaiian (my favorite. The cashews are a great addition) and the vegetarian.

 

Hit the ground running on Tuesday. And the rest of the week was spent working with Sharna and the North Bay Celiacs (CDF chapter in San Francisco) on a lobbying effort to get the PSA on the Jumbo-tron during Celiac Disease Awareness Night at the San Francisco Giantsgame on Monday, June 5th. Along with Jennifer Ischol, Director of the chapter and volunteer Karen Friis, Sharna and I have phoned and emailed everyone who could possibly make it happen. I understand the game is sold out. If the Gluten-Free Gods are smiling on us, our Celiac Awareness PSA might reach 40,000 people. Most of which have never heard of Celiac Disease.  

 

 

Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, lawyer, rocket scientist or King. Everything on this website is provided for informational, educational and entertainment use only and should not be used for any diagnostic purpose. Always consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.