Gluten Free Feeds

Christine Bailey was presented her joint prize by Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli at his London restaurant, Locanda Locatelli, last week. Christine, from The Knapp, is a chef, specialist food teacher, and freelance food writer, and took gold for her apricot and orange polenta cake.

In an age where body sprays promise to turn teenage boys into babe magnets and Celine Dion is the number one perfumer in the world it's sometimes tough to breathe. For those of us with a sensitive snout (or lungs) it's painful, sometimes even debilitating to deal with all these (mostly artificial) scents.

Celiac disease - an autoimmune disorder triggered by the protein gluten - affects millions of people worldwide. But the research of one WSU professor and a recently obtained grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow for an effort to develop gluten-free wheat, which would free individuals with Celiac disease from denying themselves gluten-rich foods.

The founder of an advocacy group focusing on food allergies has a message for the food industry.

hree years ago, Bonnie Sclamberg of Evanston had to abruptly halt a fun family tradition: buying her three grandchildren cookies and birthday cakes at her regular haunt, Deerfields Bakery in Deerfield.

Ninety-seven percent of people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the digestive process of the small intestine, have not been diagnosed, according to a multi-center study published in 2003 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Happily for those of us who ply our trade in the culinary world, there seems to be no end in sight to America's utter fascination and curiosity about food. Our collective American palate is by far more sophisticated than it was even a mere decade ago, and today an emerging new American menu, boldly melding the cuisines of previously ignored world cultures shows that we have become increasingly adventurous in the way we seek nourishment.

Michelle Secreto has worked at the Montarra Grill in Algonquin for three years. Last week, a couple left her the biggest tip in her life after one of the patron's asked Secreto's recommendation for a gluten-free meal. She told them to try two seafood specials. Neither Secreto nor the restaurant's manager know the identity of the generous diners. Secreto said she'll use the money to send her 12-year-old daughter, Ashley, on a trip to scholastic trip in October to Washington, D.C.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It causes some people serious health problems. But those people don't seem to be the only ones buying the gluten-free beer and brownies suddenly for sale everywhere.

Bob & Mary's Gluten-Free Baking is definitely a case in point. Bob and Mary Tingley - who both have celiac disease - began their business when they had trouble finding food products they could eat.

The Gannett News Service article "Do You Need to go Gluten-Free?" was a few teacups shy of a full set.

Celiac disease - a genetically inherited digestive and autoimmune disease - affects an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. It is the only autoimmune disease of which the trigger is known. That trigger is dietary.

Celiac disease affects the digestive system when people, like those who are lactose intolerant, cannot tolerate the wheat protein known as gluten. Gluten is found richly in products like wheat, barley and rye. If those with celiac disease consume products containing gluten it begins to damage the small intestine.

"Celiac Disease is an auto immune disorder in which you react to gluten. And gluten's a protein that's found in wheat, rye, oats and barley," said Tribole.

If your child has food allergies, this is probably not your favorite time of year. Don't despair, says Terry Traub, author of the new book Food to Some, Poison to Others. With a dash of careful planning, a pinch of sensitivity, and a smorgasbord of yummy recipes, your whole family will survive (and thrive!) this school year.

Members of the Celiac Support Groups of Waverly and New Hampton are selling a new cookbook, Let's Eat Gluten Free, to raise funds for celiac research.

For the first time since he was diagnosed with celiac disease five years ago, 11-year-old Benjamin Brook can go out for pizza. The recently opened PizzaSalad, a Thousand Oaks restaurant, offers pizza that is safe for Benjamin to eat. The Agoura Hills resident suffers from a lifelong autoimmune disorder that forces him to avoid gluten, which can damage the small intestine. That means no bread, cookies, pasta, pizza crust and other wheat-based foods that may contain gluten.

The founder of an advocacy group focusing on food allergies has a message for the food industry: If you claim that a product is allergy- or gluten-free, keep that promise "because someone's health and safety depends on that claim," said Anne Muaoz-Furlong, CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Giorgio Locatelli announced the winners of Coeliac UK's Gluten-free Chef of the Year competition during a special presentation at his award-winning restaurant, Locanda Locatelli in London. The competition, launched earlier this year as part of Coeliac UK's Food Without Fear campaign, aimed to raise awareness and highlight the need for increased provision of gluten-free menu options for the 1 in 100 people in the UK with coeliac disease.

A certain individual here living by the mesa is more than ready for Fall recipes. I'm sick of salads for dinner because it's too damn hot to cook. I mean, I love my baby greens as much as the next former vegetarian, but I'm no longer craving arugula (actually, did I ever crave arugula?). I'm tired of iceberg wedges. I'm dreaming up soups and layered casseroles and slow cooked stews. Which