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.
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.
Love this post! Especially excited about the Giants Celiac Awareness Night and the possibility of the PSA being on the Jumbo-tron! I hope, I hope! Thank you Deb and Susan for all that you are doing!
Posted by: Gfbrooke.wordpress.com | 06/05/2011 at 12:41 PM
I love this revolution!
Wow, sounds like you're also on a GF Magical Mystery Tour! Sans the mystery since you've got all the big guns on your side when it comes to GF baking.
Deb, you must make baked GF French toast out of the Rudi's Cinnamon Raisin bread. It is DELICIOUS and one of my favorite brunch treats!
Love riding along vicariously with you!
Melissa
Posted by: Melissa | 06/05/2011 at 11:55 AM